Two of Diamond
by Quetz
Summary: What happens when you lose it all? What would you do to save your loved ones? What would you do to protect them? NanoFate plus an OC (with a background and not a Mary-sue), slow burn, post Vivid (canon-verse), long fic. Rated T for violence and future M for loving. Chapter 12: Training, yeay!
1. Fight or Die

Foreword. Hi everyone, I've finally decided to post this story because I am in serious need of MSLN as of late and cannot find anything new. Poor me. Fate will have an important role in this, just so you know, because she's definitely my favorite character (do I have to explain why?). I like Nanoha too but her overpowered mage status makes it a little irritating at times, just like her "Starlight Breaker you then we speak" attitude. Seriously, this girl can cast several nuclear bombs in a single battle and that's it (don't tell me it costs her, she do it every chance she gets to kick an ass, and more importantly half of the time she doesn't even need to starlight breaker anything apart from bosses, just divine shoot whoever stands in her way…) Meh.

So, I thought to myself, what if I threw an OC character that could make her dance for a change. Then I told myself I had to do an OC who wouldn't downright annoy me cause yeah, OCs are hardly enjoyable most of the time. After that my mind started running a mile a minute and next thing I knew I had a full story. I didn't even get the chance to plan it because of my brain. Bad, brain. Bad! Well, enough with my non-sense!

Just the necessary information: this is a **canon-verse** story set just after Vivid, including Reflection and Detonation (see them on Wakanim, they're good). All the characters will make an appearance but the story revolves mostly around Fate, Hayate, Nanoha and an OC. This is a **NanoFate** story (cause I can't picture them with anyone else to be honest) but in a slow burn form (I love ambivalent relationships, don't sue me). This contains an **important OC**, I try to make her interesting but it's not an easy task, bear with me? (just so you know, it's absolutely not a Mary sue… eww!). Other pairings may appear, I dunno. In this story Rein will mostly be in her pixie like appearance because damn, she's too cute like that! Also, I don't care much about the whole combat arts of Vivid (never understood this evolution) so, I won't talk much about it. Finally, since I love Einhart I think I will include her in there, somewhere. Somehow. Hmm.

**Fair warning:** the beginning of this story is rather angsty, you'll understand why soon enough. The story won't be angst only though, I generally don't like this type of story (personal preference) as it demoralizes me too much. Also, English is not my language so I'll do my best for you but go easy on me if I make any mistake.

Lastly this foreword is way too long, sorry for that. I'll keep the forewords to a minimum from now on. Note that I don't own anything apart from the plot and the OC. Just having fun!

Have a good read and a good day, dear reader! Welcome to Two of Diamond!

* * *

_**Two of Diamond**_

1\. Fight or Die

* * *

Peace could never last long, and certainly not forever.

It was a universal rule.

The blonde mage gritted her teeth, still reeling from the last attack thrown at her. This girl standing on the other side of the clearing was powerful. She was unknown to the TSAB, to the military or any other records anywhere else in the universe and that was quite rare. How a mage so strong could escape the many tracking systems surveying any magical disturbance was beyond her. The first time she caught a glimpse at her it was on pure coincidence, right after a large amount of energy had been released on one of the moons of Midchilda and she had been sent there along the Wolkenritten to investigate. The long, silver hairs caught a dimming ray of light, catching her attention again, and the red eyes looked sadly at her.

It was not like she could help it. All those memories were still fresh in her mind, haunting her in the worst moments. She was older, wiser and certainly more balanced emotionally than ever in her life but she had a mind full of images ready to pop before her eyes when she least needed them. As it was, it was one of this moment.

Fate T. Harlaown was for all intent and purpose a powerful Enforcer, one of the three Aces and a frightening opponent to engage in combat. Although, it didn't prevent her for making a mistake. Her long experience in combat was useless against the flashes of her past that were assaulting her so very annoyingly.

She was on a very dangerous mission, in an area largely unknown to the TSAB and quite frankly what was happening here was far worse than anyone had expected. Something huge, unprecedented was growing in the shadows, were no one could see yet and if this girl was just a glimpse at their prowess, then it was a danger far greater than any they had encountered. She should have brought support on this one, of that she was convinced now.

Gripping her wounded side, she let out a sigh. She had lost enough blood to get on her knees but she was still standing, not relenting. The girl… facing her was piercing her with her gaze and something about that gaze, had triggered the old memories of her mother, Alicia and the abuse. Why? She was not aware of it and honestly in her situation it was not what mattered the most. She needed to gain some time, to hope for reinforcement and to live long enough to understand why this girl made her falter so… strangely.

"You don't have to believe me when I say sorry," whispered the advancing girl, her hands into fists. "But I am."

Frowning yet again, Fate gave her a puzzled look. Sorry or not, she intended on giving her the final blow and Fate could not surrender to death when she had so much to go back to, at home. Clutching Bardiche more tightly in her shaking hand, she angled her device correctly and gave her silent command to the intelligent tool. Her barrier jacket was badly damaged and parts of it were missing, but no matter what, she was the top enforcer. _Fire!_

"_**Yes, sir**_."

A gold circle spread under her feet and four projectiles of pure electricity appeared around her, all shooting toward her nearing opponent. The two of them knew that this attack was far too weak to reach its intended target but Fate had to try and buy some time. A shield swiftly countered the four projectiles and the girl/woman came to a stop before her, kneeling to get a close look of her face. Astounded by her comportment in the middle of combat, Fate was far too surprised to think of protecting herself. She was just hoping that her presence here was enough to record all of this girl moves, words or whatever. They needed to get a hold on her and discover what was going on recently. This was not the first incident.

"They say time can mend all wounds," softly said the girl, her tone as bland as earlier.

The red eyes flickered somehow and they seemed to clear for a second, making the girl look younger as she studied the wounded enforcer. _Fate! Fate, can you hear me?_Amy's voice was frantic._Yes. _The unknown girl was still detailing her and it was bordering on intrusive at this point, making her uncomfortable._Help is on the way, let her speak, do not engage again!_ She agreed silently as it was probably the safest thing to do at this point. Those eyes though…

"Time has not mended you, has it?" Asked the strange girl, her words echoing in the blonde enforcer's mind.

To say she was flabbergasted was an understatement. Who was this girl? Another voice spoke to her. _Fate, don't let her distract you, she's too dangerous._ The worried voice of her brother drifted away in her head, tense. He was right but speaking to her was a good way to gain more time so she finally responded to her talkative opponent, giving into her curiosity.

"Who are you?" She demanded with a frown as the pain was making her lightheaded.

"That's a good question actually," replied the girl with a sad smile. "But I really don't know the answer."

The admission made the blond mage look at the stranger more attentively. She seemed honest enough, a tinge of confusion was shining in the girl's eyes as she was returning her gaze. The whole thing was weird but not so much as what she had seen in past missions, after all, weird mages were not rare. It was quite the opposite in fact.

"What do you want?" Probed the enforcer as a bout of nausea made her close her eyes for milliseconds.

"I…" The girl trailed off and tensed.

Going rigid in a second flat, the girl's face contorted in pain as a light shone in her ear. Dozens of white threads appeared around her, entrapping her, digging into her flesh and drawing droplets of blood through her clothes. Fate was close enough to hear the voice growling in the little device that activated itself, menacing and as sharp as a shard. _**Don't test my patience, kill the Enforcer and leave**_**.** The threads enclosed the girl more tightly, digging deeper in her flesh and she whimpered, the sound bringing back other memories of her cursed past. Why? Annoyed by her mind and feeling a little amount of compassion for the entrapped girl, Fate tried to reach to her but the heat radiating off the girl was too hot and a bolt of white energy stung her hand so she retreated it. _Fate! What did I tell you!_ Her brother's voice was angry now. Fate was about to retort but her mind went blank when the threads disappeared and the girl regained her bearings, her red eyes focusing solely on her. That look was dull and even more sad than before. Not good.

"Yes, master," whispered the hollow girl.

The stranger with long silver hair closed her eyes and to her complete befuddlement tears appeared at the corner of her eyes, running down her cheeks and dropping on the ground. It left her speechless but the nausea she was fighting off decupled. Leaning heavily onto Bardiche, she let out a soft curse under her breath. She was at her limits and she knew it. The girl called a name, so low that she didn't understand it.

"_**Slaughter mode, set up**__._"

With a start, Fate searched for the robotic voice who just spoke, dreading the ominous name of the unknown device mode. Six, slick looking silver claws sprouted out of the girl's hands, three on each hand as she curled them into fists. A metallic sound made itself known when two large pieces of metal connected around each one of her arms. Plated metal parts materialized on the girl's black and silver barrier jacket, creating a full body armor. _Fate! Run!_ A large amount of energy was surrounding the girl, specks of silver light crackling all around them as they illuminated the area in an eerie silver hue. _What the_… Paralyzed by the unexpected display of power, Fate caught sight of the tears still running on the girl's cheeks while she looked sadly at her.

"Run!" Whispered the girl.

Dread settling in her mind like a ten-ton truck, Fate willed her legs to support her but the pain that flared in her side made her cry out and the fresh gush of blood spilling on the ground made her dizzy. She was not going to die here, she had to return to her best friend and Vivio! One set of the long silver claws was coming for her throat and would have sliced it with ease if not for the blade that popped just before her head, stopping the attack.

"Not today, Testarossa."

Lifting her gaze, she saw the blurry form of Signum towering over her and she let out a relieved sigh. She had done it, she survived until the reinforcements could make it. That girl was a big treat and surviving on her own for so long was something of a feat, especially since she's been ambushed. She was weirded out though, that girl seemed not that intent on killing her or she would be by now, they went at it for hours… So why? As all the tension accumulated in her started to dissipate, Shamal kneeled beside her, listing all her injuries and asking Zafira to lift the injured Ace. They needed to give her immediate medical assistance, her life was at stake. The blonde enforcer saw the fleeting image of Reinforce form in her mind and she had to admit the resemblance was there, which made no sense at all. Thinking that some rest was well deserved after that draining extended fight, Fate let the peaceful darkness creeping in her peripheral vision come to her, having just enough force to let out a last thought. _I leave it to you, Signum_.

* * *

_Understood_.

Signum was far too perplexed to be a hundred per cent concentrated on the fight. Not only the top Enforcer was hurt badly, it was also the result of a single younger girl who didn't have any apparent Device. Gauging the stranger warily, a fleeting memory came to her mind, picturing Reinforce standing at the foot of Hayate's bed. The painful reminder stung her but she ignored it for the time being. Bardiche was still lying on the floor and she picked it up, glancing at the scythe with a frown and addressing the two devices she was presently holding.

"Can you tell if she has a device?"

It was worse asking.

"_**Affirmative, unknown Device detected**_," declared the synthetic voice of Bardiche.

"Where?"

Signum could see the energy coursing in the silver claws but they were weapons, not the device in itself. Levantine was still blocking a set of claws, her hand trembling lightly under the pressure. She forgot her own question when she then spotted the tears running down the girl's cheeks. It was surprising to say the least. Her eyes were dull and sad, remembering her of some unpleasant memories. _Destabilization… is it a power or just our own flaws? _Fate's device went to his stand-by mode then, cracks running along its form as it went silent, undergoing his self-regeneration program. She put it in one of her pockets and grabbed the handle of her sword with both hands, ready to fight.

"_**Hinter.**_"

The sudden answer from Levantine left her even more confused but as her sword let out the information, the girl snapped out of her apathic appearance and rushed her with the second set of claws. She blocked it with her sword but the now free set she just disengaged came for her too. It was not good, the attacks were stronger than they looked and she was far too close to the strange mage for her comfort. Putting some distance between them, the knight took her time to study her enemy, wondering why their enemy lured and attacked the top Enforcer of the TSAB in the first place. Vita, who she had sent to scoot their surroundings to make sure no other culprit was hiding in their immediate area, was barreling straight for the girl after her quick inspection, anger and grief radiating off of her.

"Who the HELL are you!?"

The short woman gave a swing of her hammer and made it crash on the shimmering silver shield protecting the still crying girl. The protection didn't even crack in the slightest which was proof enough that their opponent was not a low-class mage. Vita bounded back in retreat, her eyes shooting daggers at the unknown girl and Signum sighed. Some things never changed, the red mage's temper for example. _We can't stay any longer, Fate-chan is in bad shape._ Shamal's voice was overly concerned about this fact and now Signum was too, not ready to give up on her old rival just yet. _Vita, all out._ Instructed the leader of the Wolkenritten, brandishing her sword before her in an aggressive stance. If they let the blonde die in those circumstances, the White Devil will rip into someone and she didn't want to be on the receiving end of her wrath. Nanoha was overreactive when it came to Testarossa.

"Shiden Issen!"

Raising Levantine, the blade of her sword erupted in flames and she didn't waste any more time, going at the girl while Vita was backing off a little. Signum knew she was just going to prepare her biggest attack so she tried to tire their enemy before the real blow was delivered, going at her fiercely, following her even in the air. The six-clawed girl was rather fast and experimented but in a flurry of speed attacks Signum was overwhelming the strange girl and managed to land some hits before she heard Vita's scream.

"Gigantschlag!"

The girl lifted her gaze.

"_**Testa mode.**_"

An octagonal shell formed around the stranger who was clenching her fists more tightly and tensed on instinct. Signum saw the giant hammer coming at them and lounged out of the targeted area just before the massive slam connected with the magic shield. A flash of silver went in all directions at the cheer power of the massive attack but the shield never broke as the ground caved under it. A cloud of dust covered the entire area, blinding them for a while, and Vita's hammer retreated toward its master as Signum felt the beginning of a frown on her face. A silhouette was walking.

"_**Gashing mode, set up.**_"

She saw the claws split up in many little shards of silver energy, glinting menacingly as they faced four different directions, all the Wolkenritten being targeted. Despite herself, Signum felt her eyes widen at that, astounded by the unrelenting assault and the great amount of magic this girl could wield after her previous combat. _Leave now! Retreat!_ Admiral Harlaown was frantic in their minds as Amy was heard over him. _Transfer ready, please regroup!_Signum was about to turn but the girl spoke.

"Aggeris."

"_**Yes, my Lord.**_"

All the shards flew out in the blink of an eye and Signum was not fast enough to evade all of them. Many wounds tore her body and judging by the cries behind her and the one on her right, the others suffered injuries too. Anger swelled in her and she took a step forward, intent on lashing out, only to be met with sad red eyes and tears streaked cheeks.

"_**Slaughter mode, set up.**_"

_What?_ The silver claws reformed, the girl took a fighting stance and readied herself to strike but the device in her ear blinked to life and she froze on the spot, smocking threads kipping her in place. _**Enough dear, she won't survive. Mission complete.**_ The male voice faded into a beeping sound and the girl was free again, which made the leader of the Wolkenritted tense once more. The vicious weapons attached to her hands dissolved by themselves and the girl staggered on her feet. That's when Signum saw the many injuries the girl sported, the majority of them were not from the fight and it left her speechless. What was going on with this new threat?

"Signum!"

Turning around, the sword knight went to Shamal and the others, entering the transfer spell shining on the ground. Just before they disappeared from the surface of the planet, the girl's voice reached their ears a last time.

"But I am," the words echoed the ones she had told to the Enforcer moments ago.

The transfer spell sparkled, activating, and the last thing the leader of the knights saw was their strange opponent walk away, her back turned on them as she staggered. The interior of the Claudia was surrounding them and Signum faltered, falling to her knees. The transfer had jolted them, giving the shards in their body the opportunity to go deeper. They were little pieces of agony and she wondered how many of them was in her flesh and how the medics will manage to extract them all but after two seconds they disintegrated, making her grimace in more pain. They were all losing a lot of blood but Testarossa… throwing a look at the unresponsive Enforcer, she balled her hands into fists, frustrated beyond belief. This girl was a deadly enemy but what was worrying her even more was that the stranger was not alone, others were assisting her and one in particular, was controlling her. It meant that this man was more powerful yet… it was no good. And her looks.

_Could it be…?_ Vita's mental voice was shaking with emotion and the other knights knew exactly what the smaller of them was referring to. They all saw the same thing. _Impossible_, stated Zafira.

Leaning on her side, she heard rushed footsteps, and shouts, and orders, and names being called, and a wail. She wished she could transfer herself directly wherever Hayate was at this hour but she could not and it was all too much. She drifted off.


	2. Retreat and Sorrow

I decided to post the second chapter right away since the first chapters are already written. Hope you'll like it.

Good read, dear reader, and have a nice day!

* * *

_**Two of Diamond**_

2\. Retreat and Sorrow

* * *

The Claudia was in full blown alert, emergency warning blaring on every pond as people were rushing everywhere. Admiral Chrono Harlaown had ordered immediate retreat and was bossing everyone in a steely voice, his foul, somber mood making it clear for the boarding staff that they'd better make them leave this area ASAP or he would definitely break something. Normally, the young Admiral was quite calm and collected but the mission given to the Claudia and the Wolkenritten was a lure and the one given to his sister was a trap. From what they saw on screen, Fate had sustained massive injuries and was probably fighting for her life right about now so he needed his ship to make it back to Midchilda in under one hour.

Gripping the arms of his chair with enough force to make his knuckles crack, his eyes were fixated on the image of the unknown girl still displayed on the screen.

For months now, numerous little incidents had been reported all over the TSAB's facilities in a lot of different worlds, making the higher ups fidget on their sits while the commanding officers were more and more on edge. What was even more annoying to them was that never once did they managed to capture the persons responsible for it. As it was, a lot of people were beginning to think that those isolated incidents were in fact perfectly coordinated attacks against the TSAB, testing their defenses and evaluating their strike force. He was one of them and was now convinced that it was indeed the case. Fate had not been targeted on a whim or a coincidence, it was a calculated move. This girl was far too good against his sister's fighting style. There were two possibilities. The first one, they wanted to take out one of the Ace before the real war began or second, they were collecting data of their own. Whatever the case, it was worrying him more than he cared to admit.

Resisting the overwhelming urge to bound out of the control room and run to the med bay to check on the blonde mage and the Wolkenritten, he shot one last glance at the stranger on the screen then spoke again. His brow twitched.

"Switch the damn picture off and take us back to Midchilda," ordered the emotionally distressed Admiral.

Amy knew he was far more wounded than what he was letting out so she did her task, pushing the commands and activating the fast travel system, making it the faster back travel she ever calculated. She too was worried.

"Contact the TSAB, ask them for medical support, life support and medics to wait for our arrival, make it the most urgent demand you've ever made," went on the Admiral as the staff around him did as was told diligently.

They all saw the fight and it had been a horrible sight to witness for those unable to help, like themselves.

Chrono tried to get a grip on his flaring emotions, knowing full well that minutes after that message was send, some officers were likely to contact the Claudia. They were not supposed to go back home so soon, the Bureau estimating they would need at least two weeks to investigate the area. They had left Midchilda only two days ago.

Massaging his temples, he closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders sagging under the heavy burden he now was carrying. Amy told them they were traveling as fast at they could and that they should make it under forty-five minutes, having redirected all energy sources to the engine. A small smile flickered on his lips and he sent a mental thanks to her, not trusting his voice anymore.

What his sister went through was… brutal, and it was now haunting him. What was even worse was that the whole Wolkenritten had suffered severe injuries too. In one strike, their unknown enemy had taken out five of their top officers. The enormity of this fact made him slightly dizzy. He was hoping that whoever was controlling this girl was not as powerful as her cause that would be the end of the TSAB. A terrorist organization as he suspected them to be, with mages as powerful as them would endanger all the administrated worlds. As his thoughts kept on flying farther and farther, a beeping sound resonated in the control cabin.

"Lieutenant-Colonel Yagami, Admiral."

"Open the line," instructed Chrono.

He knew she would be the first one to contact them but that was scarily fast. She will be asking for a report, elaborating a plan for their next moves. But what his superior officer told him as soon as the line went on was not what he had predicted.

"How are they?" Her tone was edgy, contrasting strongly with her easy going, cheery nature.

"As of now they are in the care of our medical unit and undergoing all the necessary tests to ensure thei…"

"Cut the crap, Chrono!" Said Hayate, short on patience.

He sent her a surprised look for the use of his first name, frowned at his own slip up and tried to harness his jumbled feelings. Seeing the imperturbable Admiral in such a state made her pause in her intention to vent and she closed her eyes to cool down.

"Tell me, how are they?" She asked in her normal voice, excepted for the tremor in it, that is.

"Not well," he admitted.

"Chrono, just for a second drop the protocol, and tell me the amount of medical assistance they truly need," asked his superior officer in an irritated huff.

"As you wish," he whispered.

A signal made some noise on a command board, interrupting them, but the man before it shut it out without a word, no one daring to intervene in the heavy talk.

"The Wolkenritten sustained numerous bullets like injuries which caused heavy blood loss and some of their organs to be punctured," reported the young Admiral.

"All of them?" Enquired the worried girl in disbelief.

"Yes, but they should survive."

He let her digest the awful information, knowing full well that they were her own family and that she needed some time to acknowledge the complete disaster of this mission. Remembering the recordings, he was almost tempted to spare her the spectacle of their demise but it would be a direct breach of protocol and he could not afford it. The situation was too serious to risk it.

"What about Fate-chan?" The Lieutenant-Colonel let out in a small voice.

He closed his eyes, gritting his teeth for just a second to try and quell the overwhelming urge to break down in tears at the reminder. Positively struggling with all the contradicting emotions running through him, his hands balled into fists. _I can tell her if_… Amy was tentative in his mind. _No_, he readily stopped Amy's delicate offer. _It's my responsibility_. Opening his eyes again, he stared at her intently.

"She suffers from the same injuries as the Wolkenritten plus a broken clavicula, broken ribs menacing to perforate her lungs, a hole in her midsection, two large cuts, a head trauma and probably other, minor things."

He stopped himself, glaring at something he could not see himself. On the monitor, Hayate's eyes widened at the long list and she stayed silent, baffled.

"It's a miracle she's still breathing with all those wounds but… but…"

Grimacing and keeping a tight hold on his emotions, he tried to finish.

"She could pass away at any moment."

The words burned his throat as he blurted them out but he had to say it clearly, to make her understand that this mess was unprecedented. The woman on his monitor was in shock and although it was hard to tell with the colored screen, he could imagine her turning pale. Shaking it off, the young woman addressed him once more.

"I am expecting you in thirty minutes and I'll prepare the needed assistance personally, just…" She trailed off, frowning, and then she bounded from her chair.

He nodded but knowing the damn protocol he forced himself to talk as the line went dead.

"Yes, Lieutenant-Colonel."

All the staff remained silent since the exchange had not been a pleasant one. Entering a series of command on her panel, Amy's tapping was the only noise in the entire cabin as she tried to channel more energy to redirect to the engine, shutting off some unneeded machinery on the speeding ship. Satisfied she ran an estimation and was rewarded with a good improvement.

"ETA twenty-six minutes, Admiral."

Chrono nodded and stood from his chair, unable to remain sitting there while doing nothing. Leaving the commanding cabin, he went through the door in quick, jerky steps as he restrained himself, resisting the urge to run. He was the commanding officer in charge of this disaster and it pained him. But if Fate did not survive the ordeal… He would break.

* * *

Lieutenant-Colonel Hayate Yagami was in a frenzy. Ordering the medical department to assemble five teams of experimented medics and sending them to wait at the docking bay number 2, she made sur that said bay was exclusively reserved for the Claudia. All of this took her well over ten minutes and she was so on edge she felt she could snap at anyone. Such a state was so unnatural for her that all the persons crossing her path on her way to the docking bay were giving her extra space. The area 99 was vastly unknown to them but was never considered as a high rank menace either, if that had been the case, they would have deployed added support to assist the Wolkenritten and Fate-chan. She had sent the whole Wolkenritten to make sure that nothing would go wrong, telling herself that Shamal being with them, they could overcome any obstacle thrown their way.

She had thought that associating the two missions and having them close from each other would facilitate the investigations. Instead of that, she had made a mistake and sent them all to their death. Guilt was creeping up on her as she asked herself who was responsible for this appalling outcome. What a joke of commanding officer she was.

The tight coil churning in her stomach was relentless since she had seen the urgent demand for medical assistance transmitted by the battleship transporting her knights and best friend. Cursing inwardly in her head, the young woman suddenly froze where she was. Nanoha. She almost forgot the White Devil in her turmoil and she was faced with a dilemma. Fate was her best friend for a longer time than herself and she had a right to know beforehand that an impending fright was on its way. But there was no telling how the White Devil would react if she ever saw Fate-chan in a bad shape. Hoping that their best friend, and her knights, were not going to die on them, she came to the conclusion that Nanoha deserved to know.

* * *

Nanoha Takamachi was on the training field, working her students hard enough to make them pant in despair, searching after their breath. Today's training was one of the hardest she had planned yet. It was because she cared about the new recruits that she was so hard on them and even if they were cursing her from time to time, she knew they understood her reasoning. They didn't have a choice in the matter.

The time was almost up and two of them were still missing. Checking her surroundings, she made little to no noise while she took a step further in the wrecked building. It was an individual training, which meant that the recruits had to best her alone. Three of them had tried to team up on her and she had shot them properly for not respecting her instructions. A crack alerted her just in time to escape the blow coming at her head and she crouched down, spinning to trip the black-haired boy. He went crashing to the ground and she nipped him with the end of her staff.

"Not bad but next time, mind your steps," she said with a smile.

He smiled in return, got on his feet and left her to deal with the last of them. Said last one was a clever girl who was really good at the hide and strike strategy, which was kind of annoying everyone, even her fellow recruits. Advancing in the half-collapsed room, she made sure to inspect every dark corner she could see, not liking this configuration one bit. A hole was piercing the ceiling and going down on two or three more levels. Perfect setup for her last opponent. She heard a faint whoosh sound and she was able to sidestep the air born girl who in her momentum went to crash on the nearby wall with a squeak. Shaking her head in utter exasperation, Nanoha suppressed a giggle when she saw the girl pouting, sprawled upside down on a pile of scrap.

"That was a spectacular fail," she pointed out to her.

"It was worse a try," Dina replied with a one shoulder shrug.

"Well, in a real combat you'd be dead so… not at all," firmly stated the instructor.

Groaning at the reprimand, the girl relented, exiting the building with a defeated look on her face. Following behind her, Nanoha listed all the things they needed to correct in order to improve. There was quite a few, obviously.

"Nanoha."

Discovering her best friend on the training field, the White Devil was about to smile but the expression on Hayate's face and the lack of honorific made her pause in confusion as she was not able to read her. With a frown, the instructor dismissed her recruits, sending them to wash and recuperate, giving to each of them an exercise to do for the next training. Not minding the dead serious look on her friend's face, Nanoha finally couldn't resist the smile creeping up on her lips as she walked toward the Lieutenant-Colonel, happy to see her after a hard week of work. She was about to embrace her when her best friend turned around abruptly, tension radiating off of her as she briskly walked again.

Frowning for the second time in what was too short a time, Nanoha followed her, resorting to telepathy to reach the closed-off brunette, tentative in her attempt. _What's wrong, Hayate-chan? Will you talk to me?_ Her best friend's steps faltered which was uncommon, she gripped her clipboard more tightly but even so, she never slowed down and she certainly didn't stop. _Just… Follow me, please._ Even her mental voice was tense.

Truly worried now, a million bad scenarios came to the instructor's mind, each hypothesis worse than the previous one and it was driving her slightly mad. Soothing her irritating mind forcefully, she was walking just behind her friend who was sending glares at any person not quick enough to give way to the two, fast striding officers. That too, was uncommon. Hayate was serious and dedicated to her job, hell, she could even be scary sometimes too, when the circumstances were dire but her strange attitude now was bugging Nanoha. Well, not only her but the whole population of the headquarters. It finally dawned on the thick-headed Air Instructor that to act like this, her best friend must be in turmoil. _Hayate-chan, you're worrying me_, she softly reproached to her friend. _I know, sorry_, sent back the Lieutenant-Colonel.

The little Rein floated to them, getting close to Hayate and giving the following Air Instructor a sad smile as a greeting gesture. It was quite serious if the pixy like mage with silver hair was not able to beam her smile like usual.

"ETA ten minutes."

Hoping that all of it, whatever it was, was not related to their friends or family, Nanoha kept on following them as they entered the docking area of the headquarters. It was crowded and a lot of agitation was coming from the staff affected here, particularly in the empty second bay. As it was, Hayate was going there and as soon as they neared the assembled crowd, she started to give orders in a tone full of authority.

"Listen, I want you to give way to the medical assistance, it's our first priority and if anyone was to hinder their task, I would personally rip them a new one," threatened far too calmly the Lieutenant-Colonel, shocking quite a few of her subordinates, Nanoha included.

For her to act with no regard for any kind of protocol or joke… What had happened? What was even more surprising was that half of the staff had gloomy faces which meant they knew something she didn't know. In the assembled crowd of Engineers, Tech experts, Ground Supports, Investigators and what not, she finally saw the nervous teams of medics clad in their pristine white uniforms, assistants, nurses and five stretchers equipped with autonomous vital support. Something dropped in her stomach and she felt her insides twist in fear as an awful idea entered her mind. Fate-chan was on a mission right now, alongside the whole Wolkenritten… Hastily she chased the thought away, the Claudia was on a mission and was not due to return until twelve days, at the bare minimum. It must be something else.

"Additionally," went on the Lieutenant-Colonel. "I want a complete checkup for the ship and a complete reassort."

Engineers and Ground Supports nodded, not about to discuss a direct order from their commanding officer. Hayate acknowledged it but didn't dwell on it, the urgency conveyed by her words being reinforced by the shaking arms she was crossing over her clipboard. It was not hard for Nanoha, who knew her well after so many years, to understand that the Lieutenant-Colonel was on the verge of tears but that she was stubbornly fighting them. Protocol or not, her best friend was not one who would lose it in front of her subordinates. Rein was staying really close to her master, as if she wanted to comfort her. Dread was slowly invading her, she could sense it but Nanoha stayed behind Hayate, not moving and not talking. She had to support her best friend and she was doing just that, as best as she could… But what on earth had happened?

"I want the Investigators and the Tech experts to team up and collect all the data they could possibly extract from the ship's recordings and the navigation devices. I want to know everything about the area and the attacker. And it better be satisfying."

Some of the designated staff flinched visibly when they heard the steely last sentence. Nanoha was resisting the urge to grip her best friend's shoulder to turn her around and demand an explanation right then and there. Some people were gathered behind the security railing further back in the docking bay, either on leave or on break, to see the ships dock and depart. But those common onlookers were staring at the numerous staff members waiting on the docking bay number 2 with unabashed curiosity.

That's when the alarms went off all over the second docking bay, the speakers came to life and a woman spoke through them, febrile.

"Incoming battleship to the docking bay number two! ETA one minute! Please, stand clear!"

The agitation was spreading like some wildfire after the announcement and Nanoha came to stand beside her best friend, sending a worried glance to her. When she didn't react, she turned her eyes to the sky, waiting to see which battleship was requiring so much attention upon its return, praying it was not the one she had thought of. But to see Hayate reacting as she did…

"Over there!" Exclaimed Rein, her little hand pointing the direction.

Nanoha squinted her eyes, trying to distinguish the space ship despite the luminosity of the sky, some clouds making it that much harder. When she saw the black dot over one of the clouds, she made an effort to recognize its form but at this distance, it was a lost battle. All the pent-up emotions steadily overflowing in her chest were making it difficult for her to breath. She heard a low whimper to her left and whipped her head to see Hayate, standing as normally as possible although her shoulders were shaking imperceptibly. Her chest constricted even more, this was not possible.

"Don't tell me…" Nanoha trailed off, the dread freezing her to the core.

Hayate finally looked at her then, and her eyes were brimming with a lot of emotions but mostly pain and fear. A lot of fear. In a daze like state, Nanoha tried to support her once again, draping her arm over her best friend's shoulders, protocol be damned.

The ship was halfway there and she could see it now. The sleek design, the silver and black panels, it was coming straight for them and her stomach sunk even more. It was the Claudia, a warship that was not supposed to come back so soon. Rein was silent and immobile. She could feel Hayate shaking against her, she could hear the whispers in her back, the general confusion and the blaring alarms that grated on her nerves, of course. And she was motionless as the large ship made its final approach to the dock.


	3. Talk and Trauma

Hi dear readers! The third chapter is up and yes, it is quite long but it is necessary. For all of you Fate's fans, do not fret. Thanks to the follows and the favorites. And thank you Nanohastarlightbrake for your review, glad to have you aboard! Feel free to comment on this one too if you want!

Good read and have a nice day everyone!

* * *

_**Two of Diamond**_

3\. Talk and Trauma

* * *

Lindy Harlaown was not what you could call an overprotective mother. In spite of her husband dying at the commands of a spaceship, she never dissuaded her only child to enter the military himself and become an Admiral like his parents. When she adopted the blonde mage who suffered at the hands of her own mother and wanted to become an Enforcer, she did all she could to help and support her, disregarding the dangers. Not dwelling on it too much, the teal haired woman had told herself for years that her children were reasonable enough to take care of themselves, be it when they were together or on their own.

But today, as she was running in the corridors to reach the docking bay, a desperate expression was clinging to her face and her eyes were reddening because of the tears she was keeping inside. Passing another door, she was questioning herself. Was it a mistake? Will she be able to amend for it? Was it already too late?

When she had seen the top priority message sent to the headquarters by the Claudia, she had feared for her children. When she had read it on her administrative monitor, she had felt her legs going limp but Leti had caught her before she could touch the floor. She had left the room in a rush, without a word. She had to go to them, she wanted to see Fate and she had to be there for Chrono. Knowing her son, he was probably beating himself up for his sister's condition and that, for sure, she would not allow it.

* * *

Teana was strolling through the corridors, grumbling inwardly as she glared at the stack of paperwork she was carrying with her. Her superior, Enforcer Fate T. Harlaown, had been sent on a classified mission on her brother's warship while she, her assistant, received the explicit order to finish all due reports if she wanted to go on the next one. She had been postponing the pilling reports for too long and she had seen the reprimand coming but it was still hard to accept the fact that her superior was fighting somewhere when she was just filling out stupid papers. Ugh. What was even worse was that she had forgotten an important file on the Claudia and needed to speak with her superior to fill the last report.

Lifting her gaze to pass the next door, she stopped when she discovered a teal haired woman running towards her and going right passed her, a distraught expression on her face. Recognizing Admiral Harlaown, Teana twisted around and began to ran as well. Perhaps the woman knew a way of contacting her superior.

"Admiral!"

The teal woman didn't even slow down or made any kind of sign proving she had heard her so Teana followed her, trying to catch up with the sprinting woman. Why was she in such a hurry anyway?

* * *

Nanoha was sick with worry.

Docking with a loud, metallic sound, the Claudia ceased to move, the chokes came to support its weight and the bridge extended, connecting to the floor in a sharp clang. The door opened, revealing a group of medics surrounding a first stretcher who was disembarked in a rush. The dark gray fur of Zafira was visible on it, spatters of blood staining it and Hayate brought her hand to her mouth to stifle a cry. The medics from the Claudia left the knight familiar to the first team of white clad medics waiting for them and ran back to the ship. Zafira was transferred to the advanced stretcher, orders and test already running as they left the docking area with hast.

Another stretcher rolled down the bridge and this time the Air Instructor could see Shamal on it, a lot of blood was covering her and the numerous, vicious little wounds she was sporting made it clear that this was serious. Reeling a little, she clutched her friend's shoulder as the brunette let out a quiet sob. Hearing her mistress, Rein came closer to her, floating near her neck as she silently watched too. The green support mage now securely attached to the other stretcher, the medics left with the unconscious woman, checking her vitals.

The whole docking area had fallen in a deep, heavy silence while another stretcher appeared on the bridge, the trademark red clothes of Vita resting on it. She was crippled with the same little wounds as Shamal and Zafira, blood staining her pale skin. Nanoha was astounded, her words leaving her as they put the short woman on the advanced stretcher waiting for her and she kept on side hugging her best friend. Feeling a presence beside her, she threw a glance at her right and was met with the profile of Lindy Harlaown. Her chest caved in and she snapped her eyes back to the painfully slow scene, beyond worried now. _Fate-chan is too strong to be harmed_, she tried to reassure herself. _There's no way_…

Another stretcher descended the bridge, this one was occupied by a Signum sporting exactly the same wounds, dried blood was marring her clothes, clashing strongly on the pink complementing her hair. _Signum too? That means_… Hayate made a move to go to the leader of the Wolkenritten, almost colliding with Rein but Nanoha didn't let her go, knowing full well that Hayate's words earlier were not to be ignored, not even by the Lieutenant-Colonel.

"Signum!"

The distressed commanding officer had shouted the name before Nanoha could do anything about it and to be honest she didn't care, no one would dare say anything about it in those circumstances. The medics carried away the knight warrior and Nanoha brought the crying brunette against her, hugging her. A tearful Rein flew to Hayate's head and put her little hand on her hair, patting it in silent shock. Nanoha was tempted to hide behind her best friend because if any other stretcher was to cross that bridge, she…

"No," she whispered, unable to contain herself.

She knew who was on that distasteful stretcher even before she caught a glimpse of blonde hair. The medics were far more agitated with her than with the Wolkenritten and when they stepped aside to roll her down the bridge, she immediately understood why. Whiter than ever before, the top Enforcer sported a hole perforating her midriff, two large cuts, numerous slashes and the same little, vicious wounds. Old and fresh blood was staining her clothes, her skin… her face. Someone cursed, Hayate gasped, Lindy-san whimpered and Nanoha exploded. "Fate!"

She was so badly beaten that her own blood turned cold and a haze of unbridled anger fell over her vision. Whoever did that will die by her hand, she vowed it. She was the one shaking now and she was trying to break free of Hayate's embrace, the shorter girl having a hard time subduing her. Rein tried to help, pushing against her mistress' back. Two arms went around her shoulders from behind, forcefully stopping her as she heard the quiet voice of Lindy-san whisper in anguish.

"Don't," her voice broke on the single word.

Fighting and trashing, she saw the medics carefully secure one of the Aces on the stretcher, running the vital support system as soon as she landed on it in a silence so deep it could be cut with a knife. Those who had witnessed the medics' coming and going were stunned but to see the popular Enforcer in this state had them all livid and astounded. Some were afraid too because whoever did that to the knights and the blonde mage was an extremely deadly enemy.

"What…"

She recognized Teana's voice but she didn't bother to turn around, nor did she stop pushing against Hayate, albeit weakly. Who did this to her? Who could do this to the kindest soul in existence? Her Fate… Feeling suddenly lightheaded, the air instructor went week in the knees and she collapsed, her whole world tipping off balance. Arms helped her sit on the floor and her chest contracted painfully. She was scared, so scared of losing Fate that she stayed like that for ten or twenty seconds, the daze in her mind refusing to let her think properly. By the time Lindy-san left them to go hug a guilt-ridden Chrono-kun, Nanoha had regained her self-control and she stood with the help of her Lieutenant-Colonel, initiating another hug between them. She was having a hard time with the situation, more than she could ever imagine, but she had to stay strong, if only for Vivio. And for Hayate.

To say the truth, she had occasionally envisaged Fate coming back home really injured or even worse. During those very long nights that she spent in anxiety because of sleep deprivation, she had worried herself sick over the blonde sharing a house with her and the dangers she was facing on a regular basis. To the point of crying herself to sleep when the anguish was overwhelming her. But the actual thing, the actual sight of the injured enforcer was on another level entirely and it hurt her. Badly.

Lindy-san was still trying to console her son, Amy joining them. The teal woman was not too concerned about the many stares weighing on them and Nanoha decided that she didn't either. Protocol was not relevant in a situation like this.

"They will survive, right?" Demanded the brunette pressed against her in a fragile tone.

"I know they will," she replied in a blatant lie, swallowing the lump in her throat as Rein wisely decided to stay quiet.

"How do you know, Nanoha-chan," wondered the Lieutenant-Colonel, tilting her head up.

"They have to," simply stated the taller of the two, her heart lurching a little when she saw the tears in her big blue eyes.

She hated when her friends were hurting or crying, especially if said friend was one of her two best friends. Stealing some glances at the door where their injured families disappeared, Nanoha tightened her arms around the brunette. She saw that Teana was standing a little way back on the side, eyes still wider than usual with shock. Her eyes went back to the Claudia, her gaze gliding over the men and women in charge of it and she threw a death glare to the crowd of technicians glued to their spot.

"Don't you have orders?" She reminded them in a dangerously low voice.

They heard her crystal clear and bounded into action, afraid of what she could do to them if they stayed here much longer. She saw them scatter into the ship and around it, busying themselves in earnest, and if her mind had not been so fixated on Fate, she would have smiled at the sight. She felt a tiny smile against her shoulder and it pleased her, at least, one of them could still smile, partially. The need to go to Fate was rapidly becoming unbearable though and she gently retreated from the hug, catching her friend's eyes.

"I need to go to her," admitted the instructor, plea evident in her tone.

"Nanoha-chan, we have to let the medics do their jobs," a reluctant Hayate tried to reason with her.

"I hate it when you're right," she mumbled.

"But you love me," attempted to jock her friend, a slight catch in her voice.

"That I do," she agreed, a tiny smile coming to her lips.

It would seem Hayate was still capable of making her smile after all, just like she did with her, but it felt kind of hollow. The image of Fate on the stretcher was right behind her lids, taunting her and making her shake with fear in the inside. Oh, how was she even alive after taking so much damage? Pleading with her own mind, she attempted to erase the terrible picture from under her lids but to no avail.

"Lieutenant-Colonel," called a hoarse voice.

Admiral Chrono Harlaown was coming towards them, his posture so tense that he could snap at any given moment while his mother and wife were trailing behind him. Letting go of Hayate's shoulders and turning to him, they both tried to not think of the medical department. He was as white as a sheet and his eyes were red but his expression was made of iron, the clench in his jaw indicating how much he was controlling himself.

"We need to talk about this mission." Declared the shaken Admiral.

That was the most obvious thing she had ever heard but Nanoha refrained on commenting his choice of words. She wanted to know what happened and yet, she was dreading to learn about it all the same. Hayate nodded beside her, her face turning blank as she adopted the right attitude, becoming once again the Marine Defense Force Commander that she was. Gesturing for them to follow her, she walked back to the entrance of the docking bay and Nanoha obediently followed her, still reeling.

"Enforcer Lanster, please follow us," ordered Hayate when they were about to leave the dock.

The air instructor heard the hurried steps but her eyes were fixated on Hayate. She could count on her friend to be strong and cool headed even in a situation like this so as they silently walked to Hayate's office, Nanoha resolved to be an anchor for her, just like the brunette was for her. Upon entering that spacious room, Hayate went straight to her chair and Rein did the same with her miniature version. All of them stayed standing at the door for a while as the young Lieutenant-Colonel massaged her forehead in utter disbelief, at a loss. Now that they were in a more private room, her best friend was faltering under the pressure and worry coursing through her mind. She knew it because she was too.

When Hayate lifted her gaze to them, she smiled wanly, not quite ready to talk just yet and indicated the various sieges around the huge reunion table. On a second thought, she decided to join them at the large table and sat at the end of it and Rein came to her, sitting directly on the table. Nanoha sat at random on the right side of the Lieutenant-Colonel, not concerned with that, sending some glances at Chrono-kun in an attempt to make him speak already. He was sitting on the other side of the table, between his mother and his wife, and the lost look in his eyes was a disturbing reflection of her overall state.

"This is classified information," warned Chrono, sending a hesitant look to Hayate.

"Just talk," she replied, nodding her assent and disregarding this detail for now.

"We went in area 99 to investigate the huge explosion of energy that went off there, three days ago," he started, his report mechanical. "Once on the site, both teams split up to start on their respective mission. The Wokenritten went to investigate the ruins that we had detected prior to the mission and Enforcer T. Harlaown went to the explosion's site."

Nanoha fidgeted on her siege, not too pleased with the beginning of his story but she was not there to comment on her superior's decisions, mostly because Hayate had been one of the ones taking them. Casting a glance on her left at her best friend, she saw the distress in her features and the way she joined her hands before her to stop their shaking. The air instructor felt the table move to her right and she saw Teana leaning heavily on it, a deep frown on her face. The young enforcer was not sent on this particular mission for an unknown reason and after seeing what happened to all of them, she was perhaps berating herself for not being there.

"At first, there was nothing worse investigating but after one hour or so, the radars detected a lot of movement in the ruins and rapidly, the Wolkenritten has been surrounded by robots. The kind of robots equipped with an AI, combat armament and magical shields," explained Chrono.

"In the middle of nowhere?" Noted Hayate.

"Yes, that's what we thought too, it was suspicious enough for Signum to decide to go deeper into the ruins, searching for a facility or hideout of some sort, something to explain the hundreds of robots."

"That much?" Whispered Teana, listening attentively.

"Yes," confirmed Chrono. "The Wolkenritten was far away under the surface and the Claudia was stationed in orbit when Fa… Enforcer T. Harlaown's signal disappeared from the radars."

Lindy-san closed her eyes quite forcefully, making her skin wrinkle around them, letting out an audible, shaky breath.

"You can leave if you want," softly offered Hayate in sympathy.

"No, thank you, I want to know." Said the teal haired woman, her voice weak.

Chrono-kun stole a glance at his mother, hesitation plain on his face but she made a sign for him to go on and he did, albeit regretfully.

"We were able to find her mere moments after but when the images popped on our screen, she was already engaged in battle. Amy…"

His wife had a hand on his arm and she squeezed it a little before summoning her own monitor, a screen went to life at the end of the table, on the opposite side of Hayate, hiding the door of her office behind it. On it, multiple snapshots of the battle were playing, all of them showing Fate in her Impulse Form Barrier Jacket and Bardiche in Zamber Mode. She was moving around to avoid many shard-like bullets, deflecting them with a barrier.

"Move forward," whispered Chrono-kun.

Amy did as she was told and the battle was still going after two hours of fighting, Fate-chan sporting some wounds and her opponent moving quite quickly around the field. They saw then the Enforcer in Sonic Form as she went after her enemy, a lot of dust clouding the image. Fate got out of the cloud of dust, moving at high speed to avoid the same shard-like bullets when a direct hit went through her barrier and tore at her midriff. Nanoha stood in a flash, distress coursing through her at the sight but Hayate asked her to sit again and she complied. A void feeling was eating her whole.

"Move forward," softly asked Chrono-kun.

She did, forwarding about three more hours as a thick silence descended upon them. Fate on the screen was still fighting but her wounds were serious by now, she was visibly exhausted and her barrier jacket was missing in some places.

"Five hours?" Murmured Teana in awe.

"Yes, she fought about five hours and twelve minutes before the Wolkenritten could make it to her," confirmed Chrono-kun.

"Where were they?" Asked Hayate, not comprehending the delay.

"In the ruins, still fighting the robots."

"Wha… Stop!" Suddenly ordered the Lieutenant-Colonel, standing up in a rush and making everyone jump on their sieges.

The image stopped on the woman fighting Fate and Nanoha's eyes went wide with shock and utter disbelief. On the screen, a rather tall woman with long silver hair and red eyes was wielding six claws of silver energy, tears on her face. The last bit made the air enforcer reel but those features, it couldn't be…

"Reinforce?" Whispered Hayate, hurt and longing dripping from her voice as her eyes skimmed around the woman's face.

"It can't be," she refuted instantly even if the resemblance was undeniable.

She had been the one along with Fate to dispatch the first Reinforce, at the latter's demand and in order to protect Hayate from her influence. Some confused looks were directed their way but Nanoha didn't pay them any attention as Rein flew over to the screen and put a hand on the woman fighting Fate.

"So that's what she looked like," the pixie like Vice-Commander said in wonder, fascinated to learn a bit more about her predecessor.

"This is…"

Hayate trailed off, her voice unsteady and Nanoha turned around to watch her flop down ungracefully on her siege, confusion, pain and a trace of longing still lingering on her face. Rein came back toward her and sat against her left hand, putting her tiny hand on her mistress' own to comfort her. It took some time for their commanding officer to regain her calm and composure so Nanoha turned to the screen and examined the unknown woman again. Gloomily, she told herself that this coincidence was probably not one at all and it made her frown a little.

"What about the Wolkenritten?" Finally demanded Hayate, her tone firm again.

"See for yourselves," responded Chrono, nodding to Amy.

Fate, who was kneeling on the ground, was aiming Bardiche at the strange woman, the numerous wounds on her body making it hard to believe. A pang of agony ripped the air instructor's heart when she saw the trembling arm of her best friend and the fire in her burgundy eyes. The fight went on, the unknown woman speaking and her silver claws sprouting from her hands, the wicked weapons describing an arc going straight to the blonde Enforcer's throat. The display shifted abruptly when four figures neared the place and a sword stopped the claws, the fatal blow stalled by Signum's Levantine. Shamal retreated with an unconscious Fate and a protective Zafira, leaving the fight to their leader and Vita.

In one image they could see Shamal tending to the heavy wounds, her face showing a fair amount of distress and frustration while a healing spell spread under her. When the light green dissipated, the wounds on Fate were not healed but less blood was gushing out of them. Signum on another display was engaging the girl while Vita was charging her most powerful attack, the short knight's scowl never leaving her face as she did so. The attack crashed on the woman with appalling force and Signum evaded the targeted zone just in time but the barrier around the unknown woman was strong and the floor caved under the cheer power of Graf Eisen. The silver haired woman walked out of the dust unscathed and the Wolkenritten regrouped when a transfer spell popped out under Shamal, Fate and Zafira. Vita made her way to them while Signum still faced their attacker. The next attack took them all by surprise with its rapidity and deadly precision as the tiny silver arrowhead bullets flew toward every knight in the blink of an eye. Signum tried to stop them to no avail, Shamal who was tending to Fate's wounds was hit in the back, Vita who was in the middle of a dash saw it coming but her barrier broke under the magical attack and she was pierced by the little energy shards. Zafira didn't fare much better. Some of the shards intended to Shamal followed their path and got to Fate.

"What?!" Exclaimed a baffled Teana as she clenched her fists. "In a single attack?"

"This woman, whoever she is, has taken down the Wolkenritten in a single attack after she fought Fate for several hours on end," clarified Amy in a low voice.

It was both baffling and illogical. "That means…" She started, her hand gripping the table.

"There are two possibilities," Chrono cut her off with a sorrowful look. "The first would be that Fate was strong enough to compete with this woman and as a result, the fight between them dragged on."

Nanoha nodded, not too surprised with this hypothesis as Fate was indeed a powerful mage and could go against about anyone, she knew this very well after all. But after five hours she was in such a state that the air instructor diverted her gaze from the screen, her emotions shifting again, the pang of hurtful anxiety ripping through her almost unbearable.

"Or this woman was powerful enough to take the Enforcer down in a more effective way but didn't do it for some reason," concluded Chrono.

"Why would she do that?" Let out Nanoha with more gnarl than she first intended.

"There is something else you need to see," Chrono placated her with a slight frown, giving instructions to Amy.

The display went backward a little and as the woman was fighting an out of breath, wounded Fate, white threads appeared out of nowhere and entrapped the silver haired woman who screamed in pure agony. They didn't have the sound with the images but the pain contorting her features was speaking volumes. And her frame was smocking.

"After that, she became more dangerous, her attacks getting by far more effective," Fate's brother related in a perplexed tone.

"What was that?" Demanded Hayate, frowning at the image lingering on the screen.

"We don't know for sure, but we detected a faint signal distant enough to escape our tracking systems," said the worn-out Admiral. "This woman is not alone and someone is ordering her, at least it is what we think."

The air instructor frowned for the tenth time today and she turned her lost eyes to her best friend at the end of the table, the brunette being engrossed by her own thoughts. Responsible or not, she almost killed her Fate so Nanoha better not cross her path anytime soon, she would be the first one to attack. With a huge Starlight Breaker probably. When Hayate came out of it, she met her eyes and Nanoha saw a great amount of apprehension in the blue orbs staring right back at her. She could understand though, the news was appalling but all the White Devil wanted to do at the moment was to run away from this room and go find Fate. _This is far worse than I thought_, sent Hayate to her, opening a telepathic link and seeking her own opinion on the matter. _Yes, it is_, agreed Nanoha as she glanced at the little Rein. _If this woman was to come here_, she trailed off, not too fond of the idea. _You're right, that would be catastrophic_, mused her best friend with a grimace.

Hayate stood up and went to her desk, sitting on her chair as she keyed something on her personal monitor. A screen went up in the space between the reunion table and her desk, a graying man responding to her call.

"Lieutenant-Colonel," he saluted stiffly, tension radiating off of him.

"How are they?" Directly asked Hayate, disregarding the traditional salutations.

"All the medics available are working on them and we are happy to announce that the Wolkenritten should survive as we were able to stabilize them," he said, the circles under his eyes attesting his words.

"What about Fate?" Pressed Hayate as Nanoha raised from her chair on unsteady legs.

"Enforcer T. Harlaown is still in a critical state," admitted the man, saddened by that fact. "The amount of abuse she went through is hard to believe and we need to reconstruct some parts of her body before we can really tend to her seriously. Her vital signs are weak," he added after a second of hesitation.

"Don't give up on her!" Shouted Nanoha, not pleased with his defeated tone.

"No one will, Nanoha-chan," interjected Hayate, reassuring her and raising a hand to pacify her. "Please, sit."

She did as her best friend requested but it pained her to hear this, and she was still fighting the urge to bolt out of this room and go find Fate, now more than before. She really needed to hold her hand at the moment and she squeezed her eyes shut, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. She heard Teana beside her, whispering encouragements so low that she was probably the only one able to hear them but it was not alleviating her fears. She was losing it.

"Keep me updated," ordered Hayate. "I'm counting on you."

"We will do everything in our power, Lieutenant-Colonel," vowed the man with a salute.

Hearing some shuffle and steps coming her way, she knew that her best friend was coming towards her but she stayed on her damn chair and kept her eyes closed. She couldn't lose Fate now! She just couldn't take it. God, how come the mere thought of it could rip at her heart so painfully? She felt a hand running on her shoulders and heard more footsteps. Hayate was hugging her now, pressing her head just under her chest and she let her. She was falling apart.

"I want your discretion on all of this, what we learned today is classified information," softly asserted the Marine Defense Force Commander above her. "Enforcer Lanster, you are affected to this from now on, start the research, work with the investigators Nakajima and Verossa."

"Yes Lieutenant-Colonel," answered Teana.

"Lindy-san, Chrono-kun, Amy-san," called Hayate, the elder of the three giving a noncommittal sound in reply. "Please find Erio and Caro, I don't want them to learn about this by themselves."

"You're right," whispered Lindy-san.

"We will go then," accepted Chrono-kun. "Nanoha-san," he called to her.

Shifting her head toward the Harlaown family, a silent sob shook her and she did nothing to hide it, gripping Hayate's uniform in her hands.

"No one will give up on her, believe me," stated resolutely Fate's brother.

"Come to us anytime you want, Nanoha-chan," offered Lindy-san with a weak smile of sympathy, tears of her own menacing to spill over.

She nodded, not trusting her voice enough to answer properly. They all left the room, leaving her with Hayate and Rein. Her sobs had quieted and an empty numbness was spreading in her, lessening her fears, her pain and everything else. It was helpful for now, allowing her to regain a semblance of control over herself but in the long run, this nasty feeling could be dangerous. Feeling too many things at the same time could confuse you but feeling nothing at all for a long period of time could lose you entirely. She couldn't afford that since Vivio needed her, now more than ever before.

The thought of the little bundle of joy that was her daughter convinced her that she had to be strong, that she had to put a smile on her face and go on with her life like before. Taking a decision, she silently raised some walls around her heart, making sure that they would hold firm for as long as she needed them. She let out a breath when her mind finally cleared and she stood up slowly to make sure she wouldn't harm her best friend in the movement and smiled at her. Hayate was confused by the sudden change but Nanoha just brought her in another hug, whispering to her that they would overcome this together. Her best friend nodded against her shoulder, agreeing whole heartedly. They will most certainly need each other in the weeks to come.


	4. War of Nerves

Hi there! Chapter 4 is shorter but there is hope in it so I'm forgiven, right? Thank you dear reviewers, it's always a pleasure to learn what you think of this story so don't hesitate to drop a comment!

Good read and good day dear readers!

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_**Two of Diamond**_

4\. War of Nerves

* * *

A mysterious organization, huge in size and not afraid to commit bloodshed, had declared war upon the TSAB and any of its administrated worlds only two weeks after the Claudia's return.

They did it when no one was expecting it, bringing fright and chaos upon the city.

The morning was almost over and the sky was devoid of any cloud when the first explosion shook the whole city. It was powerful enough to shatter the windows of many districts nearby and made quite a few victims. The authorities were taken by surprise by the direct attack and took too much time to react, thus, the mage responsible for it had plenty of time to flee the scene before anyone could bother her. When the second explosion blasted a whole building thirty minutes later, the whole city was closed off, flights were on hold and the military was deployed in reaction to what was considered as an act of war. The victims were numerous indeed and the city's governor had called the TSAB for help as this was an emergency.

Enforcers were dispatched in the explosions' areas and the concerned districts were undergoing an investigation of epic scale. To this day, the mage responsible for the two explosions was not found.

Three weeks after the Claudia's return from area 99, the TSAB was on high alert and every available agent was on the field, searching for clues on the lone girl who downed five of their top mages in a single day. To those who had access to the classified files and recordings, it was clear that the girl was not acting alone and that she was probably following orders. Every Investor affected to the Headquarters was working on tracking them, whoever they were. But so far, no one had found even the tiniest clue as to who or why was behind the attacks.

For some days now, Hayate's schedule had been crazy and the lack of sleep she had accumulated so far was rapidly catching up with her. Between her duty and her sentinel watch over the Wolkenritten, she was permanently in a state of overwhelming stress. Her eating patterns being equally unhealthy, the situation was getting out of hand. Her short temper, even shorter since her knights were unconscious and her best friend was relying on a machine to just breathe, was lashing out at random and her coworkers had been on the receiving end of it, sweating bullets any time the sleep deprived Lieutenant Colonel was to appear in a room.

Walking down the corridor the brunette made an effort to keep her anger in check, just ignoring whoever was to pass by her. She came to the door and pushed it open with a little too much force but who cared? The medics were long gone at this hour and no one was in the medical department apart from her. Entering another corridor, she intended to go to the second room but she stopped when she heard a faint sob. Turning to the first room's door, she picked inside to see a silently crying Nanoha. She was about to push the door and come to her friend to comfort her when she saw the auburn-haired girl lay her head upon Fate-chan's bed, her hand grabbing the blonde's limp one. A painful lurch in her chest prevented her from entering the room and she decided to leave her alone for now. After all, Nanoha had adorned a strong front for three weeks now, she had the right to cry when no one was supposed to be there.

Going to the room adjacent to the blonde's, she pushed the door without a sound and entered it, her eyes immediately flying toward Shamal. Rein had offered to come with her but the pixie like woman was so tired that Hayate just sent her to bed. No need for the both of them to sacrifice their rest time.

Sitting on the chair right next to the bed, Hayate mimicked her best friend's gesture in the adjacent room, taking Shamal's hand in her own as she surveyed the steadily beeping heart monitor. Some colors were progressively returning to her but the brunette didn't dwell on it for too long, not wanting to give herself false hopes. She was tempted to just lay her head on the bed, like Nanoha in the other room, but she knew that she would probably fall asleep in the blink of an eye if she did so she relented.

A hand dropped on her shoulder and she jumped on the chair, turning to see Nanoha standing behind her. She must have zoned out to not hear her friend come in.

"I didn't hear you."

"I didn't want to disturb you," softly said the Air Instructor. "How is she?"

"Better, the medics think she could wake up soon."

"That's good to hear," her friend gave a squeeze to her shoulder.

"I think so, yes," she mumbled, having a hard time keeping her eyes open.

"I heard that you scared some new recruits for their entire life this morning," Nanoah went on, slight amusement in her voice.

"It's not that bad," grumbled the worn-out Lieutenant Colonel.

"They have been cowering in fear the whole day," pointed out her best friend.

She could feel a tiny blush coming to her cheeks and she pursed her lips as she recalled the two young recruits, eyes wide with horror as she threatened to affect them to scrubbing the toilets for the rest of their careers. Others staff members were keeping a low profile while she was yelling on the two unfortunate recruits. She went overboard, she had to admit it.

The beeping was the only sound in the room and Nanoha shifted behind her shoulder, snaking her arm in her back as her head came near to her own.

"Ne, Hayate-chan," started her best friend in a serious tone. "I want you to sleep now."

"I have to watch over them," protested the stubborn brunette even though the notion appealed to her immensely.

"No, you don't, what you have to do is sleep. Shamal is not yet capable of telling you and Vita-chan can't pester you about it but as your best friend, I have to," insisted the auburn-haired girl.

"Five minutes then," she whispered, already falling asleep against the auburn-haired woman. She was so tired…

Next thing she knew, she was softly shaken by an annoying hand and she warily opened groggy eyes, not too happy with the wake-up call. She was about to shot a snarky comment at whoever was pushing on her shoulder like that but instead she frowned at the sheet covering her. Lifting her gaze, she froze entirely when she saw a smiling Nanoha poking her shoulder repeatedly. In her defense, she tried to control the flush coming to her face, tried being the key word. What the hell were they doing in the same bed?

"You were so cute while sleeping I decided to let you sleep some more," teased her best friend, still poking playfully.

She flushed even more, cursing the smile on her friend's lips.

"You kept your hands to yourself, right?" She smirked in return, raising a suggestive eyebrow as she caught her finger in her hand.

It was Nanoha's turn to blush in embarrassment but she recovered rapidly, a mirthful twinkle then sparkling in her blue eyes as she played coy.

"That's classified information," the raise of her own eyebrows suggesting otherwise.

A laugh broke lose in her throat and Nanoha joined her soon after. They hadn't laughed like this for some time and it was a relief to feel this sensation again. Sitting on the bed, she saw Shamal still resting on her hospital bed opposite them and she smiled. Nanoha had brought a second bed in the room after she fell asleep against her, it was the only explanation, and she was glad she did. The artificial lights were still on and the sky was still dark.

"How much did you let me sleep?" She demanded groggily.

Her friend didn't respond for a second or two and she glanced at her, seeing a healthy dose of hesitation on her face. She was suddenly avoiding her eyes and fidgeting with the sheets. She was about to ask again when Nanoha answered reluctantly.

"One day."

"What?!" She yelled in shock, jolting the little bed and paling a little.

"Easy, Rein substituted for you," explained her best friend, embarrassment clear in her body language. "I took the day off to make sure no one would bother you," she added.

She was floored.

"But what about the recrui…"

"I needed a day off," simply cut her off Nanoha, her tone firm. "And you needed one too," she added with a no-nonsense warning in it.

Hayate stayed silent for a bit, processing the fact that she apparently slept for a whole day. Now that she thought about it, she was famished and her throat felt parched. Sending an appreciative nod to her best friend, said woman smiled at her.

"You had me worried," the admission was heartfelt, it was pretty evident.

"Thank you Nanoha-chan, but you don't look so good yourself," she pointed out, reaching for her hand and squeezing it.

"What a compliment," Nanoha dryly jested.

"You know what I mean," she insisted, letting the concern shine in her tone.

"Yes," confirmed her best friend, a slight frown forming on her face as she diverted her gaze, preoccupied. "It's Vivio, she is pulling a mighty tantrum to come and see her Fate-mama but… I don't want her to see her like that."

"I see," she said, thinking about it before offering the only advice she could come up with. "It could be hard on her but maybe there's no way around it."

"Yeah, she won't let it go no matter what I say," sighed Nanoha, defeated but still worried for her daughter.

"Maybe she just needs to see that she isn't gone already," she softly murmured, putting extra care in her words to lessen the sting.

Nanoha's eyes flooded with unshed tears and Hayate cursed herself for it, afraid of hurting her if she pushed too far. Her own words hurt her too, but she tried to conceal it under a stony face. Except, she was not the stony face type and she could feel her own tears gathering, ready to fall. This crisis they were facing was the worst of all yet and the fact that five of their loved ones were down for the count made it ten times worse. No matter how much you feel like your life has reached a stop, the world will still spin around you and you will have no choice but to follow. Going on with their jobs, flowing through the motion of their everyday life while their very hearts had stopped beating was the hardest thing she had had to do in her whole life. Hands down.

"Nanoha-chan, I'm sorry I didn't mean to hur…" Her apology was cut short when an almost inaudible moan rang in the room.

Whirling her head toward Shamal's bed, she regretted the fast movement when pain shot through her neck. Her best friend sat down on the bed as fast as she had turned her head and soon the both of them left the makeshift bed to go to the blonde doctor. Standing beside the bed, Hayate checked on her vitals, hearing the beeping of the heart monitor growing faster as the woman was slowly waking up from her induced coma. She saw her hand contract, her arm moved imperceptibly and the beginning of a frown started to deform her eyebrows. A glorious relief washed over her and she suddenly felt like sitting down. Throwing herself on the nearby chair with a loud screeching sound she watched as Shamal's lids fluttered, shutting as soon as they had opened with a louder groan.

The artificial lights were probably killing the poor blonde doctor's eyes and she stood up, walking to the switch and turning them off, opening the door to light the room with less intensity. Returning to the bed, she stood beside Nanoha, waiting with bated breath to see the woman finally open her eyes. She needed to see them, to make sure everything was fine with her. She had to be fine, she would beg if she had to.

"Where…" It was only a fragile whisper but it was a good start.

"In the medical department, at the Headquarters," she answered quietly as to not startle her.

"How long," the whisper was so tenuous, it was heartbreaking.

"Three weeks," she shakily replied.

"Others?" Shamal asked in a breath.

This woman was unbelievable. She was not even fully awake yet and she already wanted to assess the situation, going at it like the clinical mage that she was. It made Hayate smile and as a burst of fondness exploded in her chest, she gently took Shamal's hand in hers before giving her the harsh truth.

"All in a coma."

The heart monitor accelerated again, not enough to be alarming but enough to show the woman's distress. A light grip was on her hand, soft and supportive. She really was fond of this blonde doctor.

"Get better, Shamal, then we will worry for the others," advised Hayate, squeezing her hand oh so gently.

"Yes, I need strength, then I'll be able to heal them," murmured the half sleeping woman.

That made her shake her head in disbelief and next to her Nanoha smiled a little, her previous tears forgotten for the time being. If the blonde doctor was able to recover, she could be a big help in speeding up the others' recovery. As Shamal had slipped in a much-needed sleep, her hand became limp again and the heart monitor slowed down in a strong, regular beat. It was enough. For her and for now, Hayate came to the conclusion that it was enough and the constricting feeling in her chest lifted up a little. If Shamal could regain her strength, then the others should wake too. Then she thought of something else and turned to Nanoha.

"Hmm, where is Vivio?" It was a good question after all.

"I handed her to Lindy-san for the day," sighed her best friend. "I have to pick her up tomorrow night."

Gliding a hand in her back Hayate softly rubbed her tense shoulders, humming at the answer and thinking of another thing. She was not too pleased with the idea to go home and find an empty house where she would only feel lonely and helpless. There was a high chance for Nanoha to feel exactly the same way and as it was, they both needed more sleep to go about the next day. At least she could ask.

"Do you want me to go home with you?"

Nanoha smiled softly at her, tears gathering at the corner of her eyes but she blinked forcefully, making them go as soon as they appeared.

"I'd like that actually."

"Okay, then it's settled," she smiled back at her, feeling for the first time in weeks like maybe, there was still hope for their loved ones.

* * *

Three days later, Nanoha was cursing under her breathe as one of her recruits, Dina, had pulled a too dangerous trick who caught her comrades off guard and ended up blowing up in their faces, downing all three of them with a resounding boom. On her screen monitor, the other team froze at the sound, wondering what just went off. Sighing, she took off flying and came to the fallen three fools, marching straight to the stupid captain of the lot. They were standing up, dusting their clothes when they spotted her, going rigid with anticipation.

And they better be.

Stabbing an unmerciful finger in the girl's solar plexus, she repeated the gesture while she talked, ignoring her grimace of discomfort.

"What were you thinking?!"

"It was a good idea, it could have given us an advantage and win this round," Dina was defending herself but her two acolytes were not too convinced and she was not either.

"You let your spell charge too long on purpose, any more seconds and you could have ended badly hurt!" She retorted.

"But…" She slapped her with enough force to make her shut up.

"This is not a game or an experiment, Dina, this is training!" Reminded the air instructor, miffed to see her endanger her own partners. "Do this in a real fight and you'll be dead before being attacked!"

The girl hung her head in shame, tears of frustration spilling on her cheeks as she nodded, accepting her harsh words. Every year there was always a recruit going overboard, wanting to show off or prove something, who ended up doing the exact opposite of what she was trying to teach them. This year Dina was filling the post. Softening a little, Nanoha relaxed her stance and sighed.

"Whatever idea comes to your mind, you have to check its viability. Fast in training, faster in combat. If it is too dangerous, change your approach," she repeated to them.

They all nodded as her other three students joined them, throwing interrogative glances to their comrades. It was rather late and they had been training for hours on end so she decided to stop it for today. They needed the short reprieve and Dina needed to mull over her actions and correct her way of thinking.

"It'll be all for today, stretch, go to your quarters and eat something," she instructed.

They all answered at once and she nodded, giving them a departing smile before leaving the training field. While she was flying, she saw Hayate waiting for her near the training monitor and she landed soundlessly not too far from her.

"That was a bit harsh," noted the Lieutenant-Colonel, watching the group stretch and talk.

"She needs to understand or she won't pass the final test," she replied serenely.

Typing some commands on the screen, the urban setup dissolved and the flat, shinning metallic panels reappeared in its place. Entering the last commands, she stole a wondering glance at her best friend, closing the monitor.

"Is Shamal doing okay?"

She had barely finished to ask the question that Hayate lifted her hands in exuberant exasperation, making her smile discreetly. Her concern over the blonde doctor's health was cute and a nice change from her sleep deprived moping.

"She won't stay on her bed more than the bare minimum! She's driving me crazy with worry!" Complained the Lieutenant-Colonel, pouting when she let out an amused sound. "Don't make fun of me, it's not fun!"

Regaining her seriousness, she walked to her and patted her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. After all, Shamal _was_ a doctor, she probably knew what she was doing.

"She just wants to help, Hayate-chan, like all of us," she calmly remembered her friend.

"But she has to be careful," disgruntledly asserted the Lieutenant-Colonel, pouting a little more.

"She knows that," she confidently stated in response.

"You'll have an answer for all my complaints, right?" smartly remarked the brunette.

"Yes," she confirmed, a thin grin on her lips.

"Insupportable," mumbled Hayate, fighting off the smile coming to her lips.

"That's why you love me," she commented amusedly.

"Don't be so sure of that," shot back the Lieutenant-Colonel, smirking fully by now.

Her students were leaving the area, sending them weird looks as they went by them and Hayate laughed at the face she was probably making since she was resisting the urge to make them lap the Headquarters ten times in a row. Recruits those days. Letting that thought go, she turned back to the Lieutenant-Colonel, wanting to ask her if she had slept at all since her sleep over at her house but a screen popped in front of her friend so she waited.

"Master!" Rein was overexcited, flailing her little arms. "Signum is waking up!"

They both opened wide eyes at that and immediately took off toward the medical department, running through the halls and corridors with no concern for the agents they could ram into. Luckily, everyone hastily got out of their way and they arrived in the room of the pinked haired knight in no time at all, breathing heavily. Hayate entered first of course, to see the leader of her knights actually moving would transform this day for her friend and she was glad for it. When she followed her, Signum was propped up against a pillow and the little squeal the Lieutenant-Colonel shouted before running to her side was everything except worthy of her rank. Shutting the door behind her, she sent a greeting smile to the resplendent Shamal, impressed to see her so energized after being awake for only three days. And Signum… The blonde doctor was really something.

This could mean that Fate-chan… Stopping her thought before she could formulate it completely, she squashed the budding hope. She was not ready for another deception. Not by a long shot.

Hayate said something she didn't hear in her turmoil but the leader of the Wolkenritten blushed, which in turn made Shamal smile brightly. It was so good to see them awake and about, to see her best friend teasing them. She was happy for them and tried to show it to them but deep down her heart was shattered, and the hollow feeling in her chest wouldn't leave her alone. _Fate-chan_. She was doing her best to bottle everything up, to ignore it, to live her life like she was supposed to… but it hurt, so deep that she was pierced from side to side. _Fate-chan._ She was always calling her, trying to reach her by telepathy even though she knew her best friend was out of reach.

It was killing her and sometimes, she wanted to let it kill her, to be done with the unrelenting pain. She felt guilty, and selfish, and unworthy, and a traitor to think that but sometimes, she just couldn't help it. She hadn't realized how much the blonde enforcer was vital for her. How much she would miss her gentle smile, her beautiful eyes. It was so very hard to hide all of this…

"…oha?" Hayate was looking at her. "Nanoha?"

The Lieutenant-Colonel had dropped the familiar honorific, which meant she was quite worried. Signum was staring at her, as unreadable as ever, and Shamal was studying her face in silent compassion, which hurt her even more. Putting on her normal face and letting a smile take over her lips, she neared her best friend, getting closer to the pink haired woman.

"I am glad to see you awake," she greeted the knight, ignoring the insistent look Hayate was giving her.

"Thank you," the taciturn woman responded, casting a glance at her master. "I am glad too."

The tone was saying enough and for a second Hayate froze, a surge of emotions storming on her face but the Lieutenant-Colonel regained her composure with practiced ease, thinking they hadn't caught it. Not wanting to embarrass her or make her uncomfortable, she didn't point it out, simply happy to be left alone for the time being. She stayed a little while longer, enjoying the lively animation returning progressively to her best friend's face. At least one of them had a good chance of overcoming this situation. She was sincerely glad for it. But as it was, she couldn't stay much longer than that, she had to pick up Vivio and then make diner for the both of them. And then they would probably fight again over the possibility of her sullen daughter coming to visit her Fate-mama.

Retreating, she bid her goodbyes to the three women, carefully controlling her emotions, making sure to not indulge again in the darker ones. Hayate protested, wanting her to stay a little longer since she was still a little worried for her but Nanoha resorted to use her best card: Vivio. She didn't like using her daughter in this manner but right now she needed an escape and it was the only reason why Hayate would consent on letting her leave.

"Contact me anytime," reiterated the Lieutenant-Colonel, boring her gaze into her eyes.

"I will," she smiled, glad to have one of her best friends around. "Don't stay up all night again," she reiterated herself.

"Oh, don't worry," spoke the blonde doctor with a sweet smile for her dear mistress. "She will sleep correctly from now on."

The hint of warning in her voice and the look of apprehension on Hayate's face actually made her smile more sincerely. She crossed Signum's eyes while turning around and the woman nodded at her, for what exactly she was not sure but it actually comforted her on some extend. Leaving the medical department and the Headquarters, she tried to loosen her stiff shoulders.


	5. Words and Echo

Hi! This chapter is a bit longer, I'm trying to compensate for the last one. The plot is starting to show there, dropping some clues and some more questions. Hope you'll like it!

Have a nice read and a nice day, dear readers!

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_**Two of Diamond**_

5\. Words and Echo

* * *

A week had passed since Shamal woke up in her individual room and by now Signum was able to stand and walk on her own, albeit carefully. The blonde doctor had been up and healing her fellow knights for hours on end, sleeping less than what the other doctors would have liked. Even Hayate had talked to her about it but the blonde knight of the Lac was adamant in having to heal them all as fast as she possibly could, distressed. Since she was not listening to anyone, Zafira woke up this very morning, rumbling a low growl who scared to death the doctor checking on his vitals.

It was good though, to think that all of them will soon be fine again. Well, at least the Wolkenritten. Hayate spun on her chair and looked out the window, watching the setting sun as the city sparkled with orange and red hues.

She wanted an update on Fate-chan status but knowing there was very little chance for a change, she refrained. How she had survived all those wounds was a puzzling mystery. Shamal had gone to her once, trying to help her recovery while she was waiting for the next day to continue her work on the knights. The blonde doctor had run a lot of spells, checking every wound, blood pressure, internal organs and even her linker core to be safe. Hayate had been there, her heart breaking all over again at the sight of her bedridden best friend. What the blonde doctor said then burn itself in her mind. _"This has no sense at all, if I was to make a guess, I would say this woman purposefully avoided any critical wound."_ During the troubling meeting in her office, while Chrono was giving them his report, he had said something similar. Five hours without killing an opponent you clearly had an advantage on… It was a farce, or an intention. Could be both.

Sighing, Hayate turned back to her desk and Rein rose from her little desk, floating toward her.

"Master?"

"I'm okay, Rein," she reassured her, not too sure of her words but saying them anyway.

"Vita-chan will woke up soon," tried to sooth the pixie like woman.

"Yes, I know," she actually smiled a little at the reminder, she was missing the short-tempered knight. "I was thinking of Fate-chan."

"Oh." Zwei was now right before her face and she shifted in the air.

"Rein, I can't go to them right now but I'd like an update on all of them, could you go for me?" She asked, not wanting to order it but needing the pixie woman to do it.

"Yes!" Brightly nodded Zwei, happy to help her master. She was about to leave when she cleared her throat, Hayate's attention coming back to her. "Agito is furious, she almost blew up Signum yesterday."

"I was the one who made the decision to keep her here for this mission," she reminded her.

"I know but she can't vent at you so she went to find Signum instead," explained the pixie woman.

"And why can't she vent at me?" She demanded to Zwei, a small smile on her lips.

"I wouldn't let her!" Huffed the little woman, a light tinge of red coming to her cheeks at the indignant idea.

"Thank you, Rein," She said fondly, making the flush on her little cheeks more prominent.

Zwei smiled back at her softly, nodded her head and then left the room to check on all the others. Once alone in her office room, Hayate let her shoulders slump a little and she crossed her arms on her desk, resting her head on them. She was the commanding officer, the one taking the decisions and taking responsibilities for them, the one sending her friends to their deaths and the one who had to live with it for the rest of her life. And right now, she hated her responsibilities.

Was it her fault? Should she have studied the reports more attentively or asked for a full investigation before sending anyone? Knowing what she knew now, yes, probably. But how could she know back then how horribly this mission would turn out? How could she anticipate all this, with no intel, when she had decided to send them all on the site? Her thoughts were all over her mind and she groaned softly, the beginning of a headache pounding in her head.

Her thoughts were running in circles for weeks now, driving her nuts at times.

"You seem exhausted." The voice was low, deep, but unmistakably feminine.

Sitting upright in her chair, her eyes went wide with shock at hearing the unknown voice speaking in her office, searching frantically for its source but seeing no one there. She turned on each side of her and still found no sign of an intruder. Still startled and understandably worried for her safety, she stood up, reaching for her device.

"Don't, I won't do anything to you," said the same voice, making her tense up in aggravation.

"Show yourself!" She shouted to whoever had the nerve to break into her office.

"I can't, you would kill me on the spot," snorted the intruder.

"Show! Yourself!" She ordered, her mind trying to guess the identity of this woman as her eyes scouted the room.

"Don't order me around, Hayate, I am not one of your subordinates," a steely undertone was now in the voice but oddly enough, some amusement was too. "You should calm down."

"Who are you to address me like this?!" Retorted the Lieutenant-Colonel, irked. "Who are you to break in my office and tell me to calm down?!"

The woman sighed audibly and Hayate turned on her left. The intruder was hiding in this general direction, somewhere, but she couldn't see anyone. It was unnerving.

"I am sorry, I didn't mean to startle you but it was inevitable," said the unknown woman, not revealing herself, she really sounded apologetic though.

Hayate took a second to breathe deeply and she sent a glance at her desk. A single pression on it could make her monitor pop and she could call for Investigators and device tracking scans.

"If you do that, I'll just disappear," warned the woman.

"Can you read my thoughts?" She threw back, even more irritated with her.

A short low laugh answered her, not mocking but simply amused and it miffed her.

"Glad I can entertain you," she grunted in irritation.

"Excuse my behavior, you were just cute there for a second," said the woman, a smile in her voice.

The nerve. Glaring at the empty room, Hayate looked around again but no one was in sight and her headache was getting worse. She was tired, on edge, in despair and not in the mood to play any games with this intruder, advancing her hand toward her desk, she paused against her will when the woman spoke again.

"Please, let me help you."

The unexpected demand caught her off guard. It was hard to think with the pain beating in her head but it was even harder to understand how this woman was able to stand in her office completely undetected. Because she was standing in the room it was a certitude. She didn't know how she could be invisible and escape any detection but she was. It was more than unnerving, it was perilous. And her headache was getting worse.

Her face flashed with pain, she hadn't been able to hide it, and the woman noticed.

"Are you all right?"

"You tell me. I nearly lost my family and my best friend, could still lose one of them, I didn't sleep a good night's sleep in weeks, I have more responsibilities than I can bear at the moment and a killer headache wreaking havoc in my head."

She didn't know why she said all that to this stranger but she did, her turmoil too deep to be kept at bay any longer. The woman didn't say anything more for once.

"And now I have an unknown woman in my office, a probable enemy, who refuse to show herself and could kill me for all I know," she added, the need to express her fear getting the better of her.

The woman didn't say anything again and this headache really was a killer. Taking long, slow breaths, for several seconds, she then took a step back and crashed in her chair. She had closed her eyes in order to ease the pain a bit, not worrying herself over her possible death in her vulnerable state. After a prolonged amount of silence, she reopened them and searched the room, wondering.

"Did you leave?" She tentatively asked, both relieved and a little dissatisfied at this possibility, her curiosity striving for more.

"No," answered the woman, her voice soft.

"What do you want from me?" She asked again, closing her eyes.

"I told you, I want to help you," the woman said again, offering, not demanding.

Hayate stayed silent, conflicted and exhausted. When the woman spoke again, she had moved in the room, being now on her right.

"When was the last time you drank water?"

She frowned, wondering how this question was relevant and what was its utility but her frown deepened when she searched her memory for the last time she actually took a pause to drink some water. Not today. Not yesterday either. If Shamal ever learned about this lack of care for herself, she would lecture her for an entire hour she would bet. Better not to say anything about it around the blonde doctor for the time being. She then realized that in the middle of all the other things she was feeling at the moment, she effectively felt thirsty too.

"Drink."

Hayate opened her eyes, surprised, and lifted an eyebrow when she saw the bottle of water standing on her desk. It was not there moments before.

"You need it," stated the woman, encouraging her.

"Why do you even care?" Wondered aloud the Lieutenant-Colonel, opening the bottle.

"I mean it when I say I want to help you," answered the woman.

Her brows furrowed a bit but she dismissed the strangeness of the situation and drank half of the bottle in one long gulp, not able to stop after the first swallow. Gradually as she felt the water drop to her stomach, her body relaxed a little and the headache started to lift a bit, not enough to clear her hashing mind but enough to reassure her. It would pass.

"To answer your fears, I have no intention of hurting you and I am not your enemy," said the woman.

"Why do you hide yourself then?" She retorted, her tone indicating it was suspicious.

"I have done too much harm, you would kill me I think, or have someone kill me at least," mumbled the woman, guilt apparent.

Hayate was intrigued now and the wild idea formulating in her head had her angry and longing at the same time, which was aggravating her mood all over again. If she was…

"I should probably leave, you will not listen to me," realized the shady woman.

She was torn between her curiosity and the roaring anger. Between the hope of real help and the possibility of deceit. They almost lost precious loved ones, she didn't want to take any more risks and endanger them further. But if this woman could walk in here completely undetected, what had prevented her from killing her in the first place? If she was an enemy, she could have killed her a dozen times already. But she was alive. The whole thing made no sense at all.

"You're still here?" she demanded, but no response came.

Frowning, she watched the bottle of water and recalled the woman's words in her head. Her headache was progressively leaving her, permitting her to think again. _"You would kill me on the spot,"_ was still on her mind. _"Don't order me around, Hayate,"_ how did she know her name? Was she following her around or something? The creepy thought made her shudder in alarm. _"Are you all right?"_ There was un underlining of concern in the tone, as weird as it might be and she was struck again with the plain stupidity of what just happened. On top of the oddity. _"Excuse my behavior, you were just cute there for a second,"_ must be the most embarrassing passage of all. Remembering the laugh, she felt her cheeks reddening slightly as the comment replayed itself. The nerve of that woman.

"Master!" Rein had entered the room without her noticing it and she slapped herself mentally, willing her mind to focus on what was more important.

But maybe she should contact Shari to have some detection devices installed in her office? Or report the odd encounter, if she could call that like that, to her fellow commanders?

"Rein," she welcomed the returning pixie woman. "How are they, tell me."

"Shamal is doing great, even if she is not sleeping correctly," started the silver haired pixie, landing on the desk in front of her. "Signum is walking and doesn't have any pain. Zafira has gained a lot of strength since this morning, I suspect Shamal to have a role in it. Vita-chan is still asleep but she's going to wake up soon, in two days said Shamal."

The tiny woman then threw a glance at the bottle standing beside her, looked back at her master and smiled brightly while going on.

"They'll be as good as new in no time!"

The joy dripping from her voice reached Hayate's lips and she let out a sigh of relief under her breath, immediately followed by a frown and a sad expression. The Wolkenritten had been saved but her best friend was still in critical condition. Six doctors had been tending the blonde enforcer's wounds and all of them had performed every spell they could think of to help her but to no avail. She was badly injured and as strong as she was, Fate-chan was by no means immortal.

"Go on," she softly instructed, standing from her chair and standing before the pane behind it, overlooking the city in the young night.

"Her vitals have improved, but she could still have a seizure or a malfunction," hesitantly reported Rein. "Shamal want to help her, but only when the whole Wolkenritten will be up and about again. She said that she will have to mobilize all of her energy on her if she wanted to have some results. That's why she's rushing the healing process of the knights."

She had to smile at that, understanding now why the blonde doctor had left Fate aside for the time being. It made sense but she would have preferred it if the woman had explained this to her directly instead of making her wonder. She had thought for a couple of days that Shamal was not that concerned with her best friend which was very uncharacteristic of her.

"I see," she let out, forcefully easing her tensed shoulders. "Thank you, Rein."

"Master," called softly the pixie, making her turn around to look at her. "There is a possibility for her to never wake up again."

Her guts froze and a sharp stab of guilt and anguish ripped at her heart. It must have shone in her eyes because Zwei was floating in front of her face in an instant, putting a hand on her cheek to try to comfort her, an apology in her sad face.

"It's a minor risk according to Shamal, b-but I thought it best to warn you, I'm sorry," slightly stammered the tiny woman.

She nodded, not trusting her voice anymore. The brunette knew Zwei had the best intentions for her and she was not mad at her for telling her the truth. The Lieutenant-Colonel was mad at herself for sending them in a trap that was far too well orchestrated. The one responsible for all of this knew them all too well when themselves were totally in the dark and that, maybe, was the most serious problem. She gave the pixie like woman a smile and another nod to let her know that it was fine, that she had to be informed.

* * *

Four days later, the night was dark and the wind was blowing over the city. The stars were hiding behind some lazy clouds and the moon was nowhere to be seen. Hayate was at her home with Rein, Shamal and Signum. The blonde doctor had insisted that the four of them needed to leave the Heardquarters for a while, wanting the brunette to sleep in her bed. When the Lieutenant-Colonel insisted that she had to come with her and Signum too, there was an argument but no voice had been raised and no shouts had been heard. Tears had drowned them. Hayate was doing her best to keep a straight face and a cool head but the fright of losing all of them had deeply cut her to the core and in their argument, she let it show through. When faced with their master's emotional turmoil, the doctor had immediately relented, taking her in her arms. Signum for her part had decided that staying at the young brunette's side was the only way to reassure her so she had the intention to do just that any chance she got.

Shamal was cooking in the kitchen and Signum was lounging on the couch still frowning and thinking, probably about the soft-spoken argument, the hurt that had been present in her eyes, the pain in her face and the guilt in her voice. The young Lieutenant-Colonel was sitting across from her knight, still distressed, and the pink haired woman let out a sigh of frustration, drawing her attention to her. She was staring at the Belkan knight with a tinge of timidity, not really sure of what her knights were thinking at the moment. It was hard to look at her, she could see the angry scars on her arms. With time they will fade away but for now they were red and the proof of her own stupidity.

"Hayate, stop that," calmly requested the leader of her knights.

She stared into her eyes, guilt overflowing in her chest.

"But…"

"Stop, no one could have predicted it," insisted the pink haired woman, detaching all her words and pouring a healthy dose of conviction in them.

Rein was at her master's shoulder, not wanting to leave her after the scene in the medical department earlier and Hayate felt her tiny hand on her neck. She smiled sadly and nodded, accepting Signum's words as what they were. She didn't have to believe them but for now they could ease her most negative emotions and she let them, she needed some peace of mind. She still had no right to feel peace in her opinion but she needed it.

"Vita-chan was ready to follow us you know? I had to sedate her to make sure she wouldn't leave her bed," chimed in the cooking doctor from the kitchen with a hint of humor.

It made her smile, lifting the negative mood weighing on her shoulders.

"She will chew you out for it first thing in the morning," retorted calmly the leader of the Wolkenritten, shaking her head at the incoming screams and shouts.

"Yes, she will," happily said Shamal, apparently not fazed by it.

"And you're happy about it," noted Signum, shaking her head a little more.

"When she yells and kicks, I know she is healthy," explained the blonde doctor.

The conversation paused and Hayate felt tears coming back to her eyes, remembering the short woman in her medical bed, her hair contrasting strongly with her white as chalk complexion, her hand cold and limp to the touch. She screwed her eyes shut, not wanting to cry again and cursed her overly sensitive emotions once more. Some shuffling was coming her way and the couch on which she was sitting shifted. Hayate opened her eyes and saw Signum sitting right beside her, concern on her normally neutral features. The knight's leader was hesitating, her hand reaching for her but not making contact and the young Lieutenant-Colonel threw herself at the woman, snaking her arms around her midriff, sobbing silently. She was so glad to have them back! So very glad! Two arms encircled her.

"Mou, why did you let me sleep when there is food cooking?" Chirped an annoyed little voice.

Hayate raised her eyes from Signum shoulder's and she let a teary smile stretch her lips at the red pixie floating toward them. Shamal was standing at the kitchen door, concerned for their mistress and Rein was already sending a glare at her fiery counterpart.

"Can't you think with something other than your stomach?" Huffed the silver haired pixie, her concern for her master making her irritation flame.

"Well, I can think with a lot of other parts too," smirked Agito, wiggling her eyebrow at Rein, placating her.

Hayate laughed at the tease and Rein turned beat red, hiding herself behind her master in embarrassment while the fiery pixie hovered close to her own master, grinning up a storm. Signum let out another sigh at their antics, making Hayate giggle softly in turn. The mood was suddenly lighter and they were all glad for the little pest's intervention for once. Shamal came to her mistress and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, making her look up at her.

"Why don't you go take a bath while I finish cooking?" Suggested the blonde doctor with a caring smile.

"That would be great," she admitted, detaching herself from the pink haired woman. "I'll be right back," she said, standing and walking out of the living room.

Perhaps it could help relax the painful stiffness in her back and legs so she went up the stairs, going to her private bathroom. Running the water, she readied a towel then went to find a change of clothes and a new set of underwear, depositing them on her bed. When everything was done, she went back to her bathroom and shut the door, not bothering with the lock. Stripping out of her uniform she discarded it and slipped into the bathtub, a happy little sigh leaving her lips as soon as the warm water surrounded her. She leaned back, resting her head on the edge of the tub and looking at the ceiling. Her thoughts went to Nanoha and she asked herself if her best friend was able to relax too. Then she thought of Fate, her critical condition, and she made an effort to not whimper. How could Nanoha ever relax when their best friend's life was held by a thread? How could she herself? A light sob tore through her throat and she bit her bottom lip to stifle it.

"Fate-chan." She whispered in the silent room.

The sound of something falling in her bedroom stopped her darkening mood and she called.

"Shamal?"

The voice answering her made her sit upright in her bathtub in utter shock.

"I thought it could be best to make some noise to announce my presence," hesitantly said the same woman from her office room four days earlier.

"How on earth did you enter in my house?!" Asked Hayate, hyperventilating in fright.

"Please, calm down," hurriedly said the intruder. "Please, I mean no harm."

The reassuring words penetrated her panicking mind and she barely resisted the urge to just shout to alert the others downstairs. If this woman was playing with her nerves it was definitely working. How in the world was she able to walk wherever she wanted and remain undetected?

"Please, I have no ill intention," repeated the woman after an uncomfortable silence. "All I'm asking for is a meeting, you and me, alone."

"What do you want?" Blurted out Hayate, unable to hush up the question.

"I already told you," answered the woman.

"Where?" She demanded to know, telling herself it was a bad idea.

"You decide, I don't really care as long as we're alone," admitted the woman.

"My office then," she asserted, some authority filtering in her tone.

"Can I ask you something?" Hesitantly asked the woman.

"What?" She demanded warily.

"Don't kill me," softly requested the woman.

Hayate's eyebrow twitched in irritation at the request since she already felt like slapping the unknown woman who was in the bathroom with her. Suddenly aware of her predicament, her breasts half exposed to the unknown woman, she reclined in a rush into the water, letting the bubbles cover her body in sheer embarrassment.

"Pervert," she muttered under her breath, cheeks hot.

"I'm not looking at you, I swear," defended the woman with a hint of amusement.

The young Lieutenant-Colonel said nothing for a while, mulling over the risks, the potential danger and the nature of the help this irksome woman wanted to give her. A knock on her bedroom door had her jumping in her tub, water splashing around her.

"Hayate-chan? Diner is ready!"

"I'm coming!" She sent back.

She heard Shamal walk away and she tried to relax against the tub again, letting the warm water soothe her. This bath had not been as relaxing as she had hoped it would be in the end. What a waste. This woman could possibly pester her endlessly if she didn't give her what she wanted so, for the sake of her sanity as well as her privacy, she accepted.

"Okay, one meeting at my office, tomorrow at nine pm," she instructed, miffed. "Only this one time, then you will leave me alone or I could just start to hunt you down."

"Understood," said the subdued woman. "I'll just take my leave then."

And with that she was gone. Hayate knew it because somehow the presence was not there anymore, the air was flowing freely in the room again. Wondering if she had made the right decision, the brunette sighed and closed her eyes. _"Are you all right?"_ That particular question was still haunting her mind when she was by herself. Was she?

* * *

The following evening, she was pacing in her office and had specifically asked Griffith to make sure no one was going to disturb her for at least two hours. Her door was locked and he was to intercept any visitor. She didn't know what this strange woman wanted to talk about or what she wanted to help her with but she had a feeling that this meeting could be longer than a quick exchange and she wanted to be sure nothing could go out of hand. She was still questioning her decision. If anyone was to learn about this, they would probably question her sanity. The TSAB being at war with unknown terrorists, it could all be a ploy to get to her. But then why was she still breathing?

Frustrated with her thoughts running in circles again, she came back to her desk, sitting on the edge of it, crossing her arms on her chest while waiting for the illusive woman. _"Don't kill me,"_ she had said in earnest, it could only mean that she was probably considered as an enemy by the TSAB. It was worrying her. Could she be…

Something changed in the room, the air shifted. It was really subtle. Or maybe she was just deluding herself and imagining things.

"If you frown any more than that, you will hurt yourself," lightly said the woman.

"Why can't you just show yourself and act normally?" Shot back Hayate, irritation slowly coming back to her.

"Because you certainly hate me," answered the woman.

"I don't even know who you are," scoffed the Lieutenant-Colonel.

"Wrong," said the woman before sighing heavily. "I will appear in front of you, just so you know…" She was hesitant. "Here comes nothing." She mumbled afterward.

True to her words a woman appeared before her, but she was more of a woman than a girl. She was taller than her, her long silver hair and her red eyes hit her like a ton of bricks and she was glad to be half sitting on her desk or her knees might have sagged under her. The resemblance had struck her on the screen but now that they were face to face, it completely floored her. Before she could grit her teeth shut, she let out two surprised and somewhat awkwardly longing names.

"Eins?... R-Reinforce?"

The woman lifted her eyebrows at that, not too sure about what she should answer, looking at her in both confusion and comprehension which was strange. It was then that the images of the battle came back to her, her bedridden knights, Fate-chan's crippled body, her chalk white face, Nanoha's tears and hidden depression, the incommensurable pain pounding in her every day, the hatred for the one responsible for all the anguish drowning her for weeks on end and she snapped. She was not one for violence, it was not her nature but at this moment, it was her only answer. Surging toward the woman, she gripped her shirt in an iron fist, making her stumble back and hit the reunion table as she slapped her soundly, livid.

"How dare you show yourself to me?!" She half shouted, not wanting to alert Griffith but unable to contain her anger.

Trapped between the table and her own body, the taller woman still stared at her, her red eyes brimming with a lot of angst and boring into hers.

"I can't lose her," the woman whispered, red hot pain making her eyes even redder.

"Are you kidding me?! You're the one who almost killed them!" She half shouted, shaking her in utter rage.

"Not me," softly said the woman, still staring at her with so much pain in her eyes that it actually reached her, piercing her anger. "I wouldn't be here if I wanted anyone dead, plus, I'm not supposed to help you," she added, pleading with her eyes for her to believe in her words.

Her fist contracted on the shirt in frustration because she knew that they were going nowhere. She had half the mind to throw her out of her office. Then Hayate released her as she resisted the urge to rip into her, to inflict the same pain she bestowed on all of them. Trembling, she took a step back and glared at the wall, too riled up to say anything useful at the moment. She had to regain some composure or all this would be for nothing. Her anger was still there but her true personality was resurfacing too, and little by little, she was able to think properly again.

"Then why do you want to help?" She inquired in a clipped tone.

"Because I can't lose her," reiterated the woman, a tinge of panic in her gaze.

She had to admit it was a baffling answer, even in her anger fueled state she was thrown off by it. Was she really referring to Fate-chan?

"Who?"

"Fate."

Her brows furrowed and she shot the woman a dirty look of utter disbelief and reproach.

"All you had to do was not try to kill her," she pointed out, riled up again.

"I…" For the first time since the beginning of this meeting the silver haired woman actually faltered, closing her eyes.

She was beyond befuddled when she saw tears.

"Look, I have no right to ask anything of you, I have no right to ask for forgiveness and I have absolutely no right to talk about her but…" The woman trailed off, opening her eyes again, the emotions in them a self-loathing scathing mess. "I couldn't stop it, I can't go against my master's wishes."

That part picked her interest at least. The woman was, supposedly, following orders from a shady figure.

"Yet here you are," She stated, not believing her.

"And I'll pay the price," nodded the woman, diverting her gaze from hers.

There was true fear in her suddenly stiff stance, her strong frame tensing up with apprehension. There was a shadow in her eyes, one that reminded her of someone else long ago and it made her pause. The word flashed in her mind but she didn't want to acknowledge it. It was irrelevant and not her concern.

"Hear me, then I'll leave you alone," softly said the taller woman, still not looking in her direction.

"Speak," sighed Hayate, the fatigue of the day added to the onslaught of emotions and her outburst leaving her feeling worn out.

"I know she is nearly gone, and I know it's by my hands," started the woman, lifting a hand to prevent her cutting in and making a snarky comment. "She could not make it on her own but this could save her," said the woman, retrieving an object from her coat.

Hayate went a little rigid, readying herself for anything as the silver haired woman extended her hand to show her a small engraved case.

"Implant it in her, it'll heal her," the woman said.

"Where is the catch?" She wondered, her eyes squinting as she tried to ear some deceptiveness in her tone.

"There is none, she will accept it and in turn the Echo will heal her," softly answered the woman.

"Echo?" This meeting was far too destabilizing for her own tastes.

"It is a very rare, very precious device and I give it to you," said the woman, placing the object on the reunion table behind her. "I'm giving you a solution, it's up to you to use it or not," added the woman in a whisper.

"If I use it and it kills her, I'll kill you," she warned her very seriously.

The silver haired woman smiled one of the saddest smile she had ever seen, walking away from the reunion table and herself.

"If it kills her, I'll kill myself," softly asserted the other woman, turning to her to let her see how serious she was too.

It actually shocked her. Then the woman whispered again.

"Aggeris."

"_**Yes, my Lord. Phantom mode, set up.**_"

The synthetic, masculine voice made her jump in surprise. "Wha…" Before she could finish the word, the silver haired woman vanished from her sight in absolute silence, leaving her alone in her office room to stare at the spot she just vacated.

How in the world was she doing that? Standing there for longer than necessary, trying to process what just occurred in the now silent room, Hayate had a hard time wrapping her mind around it all. The Reinforce lookalike woman had left her with more questions than before and it was irking her some more but… the anger she had felt earlier had now completely left her and she was wondering how two eyes could hold so much emotions in them without being blinded by them. If she had to be honest with herself, she was more shaken by the encounter than she expected her to be. She was their enemy. Yet she was not acting like it.

Her gaze landed on the object resting on the table and she neared it, taking it in her hand and lifting it before her eyes to finally inspect it. A light tingle was teasing the skin of her fingers. Could it be? Could it save her? Shamal was trying to make it sound like Fate-chan will survive her wounds and actually could heal on her own but how many months would it take before she could see her walk and fly again? Would Nanoha-chan last that long, waiting for a hypothetic full recovery or would she crumble well before that?

Could she bear to watch her blonde best friend make little to no progress while her other best friend was shattered into pieces? A pang of sadness and pain answered for her and she grimaced, the emotions rolling in her chest strongly enough to make her bent a little. She had thought of calling for Yuri on Eltria but would that be of any use? In her state, Fate-chan was so unstable.

The need to make everything right again, to correct the mistakes she still thoughts she had made, flared a bit in her mind and she pocketed the little device. _"If it kills her, I'll kill myself,"_ she actually was convinced the woman had meant every last word of it. There was too much pain, too much anguish, too much self-hatred and too much resignation in those red eyes to be a fluke or an illusion. No one could pull an act like this and never once did she feel any deceit in her voice.

It was astounding. And her heart had missed a beat.

* * *

That's it for this chapter. So, what do you think? I love to hear from you so don't be shy, let me know what you think!


	6. Mother and Daughter

Hi everyone! Chapter six is here, focusing on Nanoha and Vivio a little more. Enough said!

The Anonymous: thank you for your interest. As for the angst, it will come to an end eventually yes, but all is not resolved (far from it) so it could come back more than once. I couldn't have Fate dying in the beginning of the story though, that would be far too depressing for me to handle. Also, know that my OC has a _really_ good reason to act as she is. It'll be explained later. Please, enjoy the new chapter :)

Have a nice read and a nice day, dear readers!

* * *

_**Two of Diamond**_

6\. Mother and Daughter

* * *

Two weeks later, Nanoha was sitting in her kitchen, sipping on her coffee and waiting for Vivio to wake up. The breakfast was waiting on the counter, still fuming, and she was already showered, dressed, and had just finished eating what little food she could swallow. All in all, she was presentable and seemed perfectly fine to whoever didn't bother to look closely. The problem was, most of her entourage was watching her very closely, to the point of becoming downright annoying at times. She knew they cared about her and were concerned but it was not helping and Fate-chan was still in a coma.

The pain in her chest had long since numbed her heart, flattening out any true emotion she could feel as of late. Well, not for Vivio thought, the blonde child was still able to reach her in ways no one else could.

She missed her. Dear kami how she missed her. _Fate-chan_. The telepathy was a refuge and Fate's name was her mantra. It hurt so much. Closing her eyes, she let the tears come to her for the sake of not crumbling later that day. She couldn't show how much she was affected by this, she had too many responsibilities and the recruits still needed their instructor. Granted, Vita-chan was coming back today to second her but… She was still the instructor in charge, she had to push through this.

Some tears ran down her cheeks and two fell on her thighs, she let them but she heard Vivio's door and the sound of steps she hastily rubbed her cheeks, whipped her eyes and put on her normal expression. Her daughter was suffering too and she didn't want to add to it. When the little blonde entered the kitchen she paused, taking in her mother's appearance while Nanoha felt another stab in her chest. Her daughter reminded her of Fate in many ways and that too was a painful fact.

"Good morning, Vivio. Come eat, it's almost time for school already," she said to her child, addressing her a warm smile.

The young girl didn't respond and came to her, embracing her with her little arms and Nanoha caved inside, squeezing her eyes shut to maintain a straight face before reaching to gently tap on her daughter's hand.

"Let me hug you, too," she softly requested.

Vivio freed her and she turned around to properly hug the young blonde, not missing the worried frown on her face. Nanoha knew she was not doing a great job at recomforting her daughter at the moment, nor was she very good at hiding her pain around her. She was trying but it was hard, and complicated.

"I'm here for you, Nanoha-mama," told her Vivio, clenching her little arms around her.

"I know," she smiled. "I'm here for you too."

"I miss Fate-mama," murmured the blonde girl, a slight catch in her breath, hiding her face in her neck.

"Me too, Vivio," she nodded, turning her head to drop a kiss on her hair. "Very much so," she added after a second, rubbing her daughter's back.

She felt the girl nodding against her in agreement to the last part and she squeezed her a little more against her heart. The sweet child was suffering and she was powerless against it. When the little blonde pushed back, she gave her a very hopeful look and an even more hopeful smile.

"I want to see her. I am strong enough now, mama," the child said, hoping on her feet in excitement.

"Vivio," sighed Nanoha, weary of having the same argument every day.

"But I need to see my mama," insisted the little girl, frowning again, the beginning of a mighty pout coming to her face.

"What if you regret it?" She softly asked, stroking her daughter's cheek.

"I won't! I want to see Fate-mama!" Proclaimed her child, not wavering once in that demand.

Her Christmas eyes were boring into hers, she was as serious as a child half pouting could be and Nanoha could see the pleading. There she saw the same longing she was feeling too, as strong as her own. It was this longing that was driving her crazy at times and now that she could see it in her daughter, she started to doubt her decision. The little blonde was so attached to the blonde enforcer.

"I'll think about it, Vivio," she conceded, finally relenting from her previous, negative position on the subject.

"Thank you, mama!" Cried out the little girl, happy to hear the change in her mother's response.

She jumped on her, throwing her little arms around Nanoha's neck and hugged her tightly which brought a smile on her face again. Clutching her little girl against her, the air instructor reveled in the moment, her mind soothing a tad, then she let her go and pointed her plate.

"Eat now, you need your strength," she gently smiled at the hopeful child.

Vivio went with a new, purposeful strike in her steps, happy to maybe have a chance at seeing her second mama and it made her heart clench a bit. The girl was obviously not prepared for seeing her Fate-mama like this but could she really prevent this from happening? She was putting it off since well over a month and two weeks now, could she really keep going against her dear daughter wishes without creating a rift between them? She loved Vivio to pieces and the girl loved her too, she knew it, but was it enough? Or would the little blonde resent her in the long run?

"I don't want to go to school," suddenly said the little girl, playing with her food, sad.

Nanoha stood up and walked to her, caressing her hair in concern. Her daughter was thinking hard on something and it was causing her to stare forlornly at her food. She didn't like that look on her baby girl.

"I know it's hard, but you have to," she softly tried to reason with her.

"Nuhu, I have to see Fate-mama," whispered the little girl, persistent as little tears started to form in her eyes.

"Vivio," she quietly sighed, kneeling a little to be level with her daughter.

She reached for the silently crying girl and took her chin in her hand, making her look at her. Smiling with all the love she could muster at the moment, she leaned toward her child and kissed the tip of her nose, bringing a wobbly little smile on the girl's lips. Glad that the gesture was able to stop the tears for the time being, Nanoha resorted to use one of her best cards with the sandy blonde child.

"If you don't go to school, Ein-chan will worry, don't you think?"

It was a low blow, and she was not pleased to have to say something like that to convince her daughter to go where she needed to be, but she had no other choice. The girl thought about it, tears forgotten as she thought of her silver green haired friend.

"I want to see Ein-chan, too," admitted the young girl, hesitating.

"Then go to school," said Nanoha, bending down to kiss the top of her head. "When you come home tonight, I will tell you when we will go see your Fate-mama."

The girl lifted her head in delight, hope overflowing in her big, beautiful eyes.

"Really?!" Asked the little blonde, ready to squeal.

"Yes Vivio, if you really want to, then we'll go," she accepted, she didn't have the willpower to reject her little girl's demand any longer.

"I really want, mama!" Squealed her daughter, hugging her waist.

She smiled at her daughter's reaction even if she knew that her little girl will not like what she will see in that dreaded medical department. The sandy blonde child had no idea how much her blonde mama was hurt and how much it hurt to see her like that, she wouldn't comprehend it until she saw it for herself. She had tried to spare her this heartache but it was inevitable.

Vivio let her go, hyper with hope and excitement as she bounded from her chair, racing out of the kitchen to prepare for school. Shaking her head in amusement, a fond smile was still stretching her lips as she started tidying the kitchen, trying not to think of all the times Fate had been standing being her, speaking to her or just watching her. A pang of longing, pain and anguish pierced her heart and a tiny whimper escaped her lips as she supported herself by putting her hand on the counter to keep herself upright. How much longer could she take it?

"Mama?" A little, worried voice asked from the kitchen entrance.

Straightening, the air instructor saw her daughter standing there, looking at her in evident concern, some fear floating in her slightly wider eyes.

"It's okay, baby girl, Nanoha-mama is fine," she said, forcing a smile on her lips to reassure her.

The child was not convinced and Nanoha smiled softly, kneeling she opened her arms to the girl. Vivio ran to her and they embraced again. Tightly. She was whispering soft words of reassurance to the worried girl, rubbing her back in soothing motions. When her daughter didn't let her go, she squeezed her a little more against her, kissing her ear afterward.

"Don't worry for me, Vivio. I am fine, really," she calmly repeated when they separated.

"Pinky promise?" Asked the sandy blonde, presenting her pinky finger to her mother.

She could do nothing but to smile at that. Vivio was too cute sometimes.

"Pinky promise," she confirmed, entwining their pinkies.

The worry seemed to lift in her daughter's eyes and she tugged on her arm to make her lean down. Nanoha went with the motion and received a kiss on the cheek. She moved quickly to land a kiss of her own on the sandy blonde's cheek before Vivio darted out of the room again, shouting a good day wish to her. The little girl was pumped with the prospect of visiting her Fate-mama and it was both comforting and saddening all at once. Raging Heart was ringing at the base of her neck, reminding her of the time. Deciding that the kitchen was clean enough she left the room, slipped her shoes on and exited the house. Fate's slick car was still there, waiting patiently for her owner to come back home and ride with it, and it was all she could do not to tear up again.

Shutting off her heart and her mind, she concentrated on her work once more. It was the sanity line she had to hold onto if she wanted to pull through this unscathed.

* * *

Shamal was not an overly stubborn person in general but when it came to her patients, she could be quite persistent or downright obsessive in certain circumstances. And as it was, she was in one of her obsessive phases. Reading the heart monitor's information for the tenth time in under an hour, she summoned another spell to check the blonde enforcer's blood circulation. She knew that Hayate was beating herself up for what happened to them all, but most specifically for what happened to the blonde enforcer. She also knew that if the woman was to die, Hayate and Nanoha would break. Chrono too, but she was not as close to him as she was to the two Aces.

Fate-chan's condition was driving her nuts. She shouldn't have survived to so many wounds for so long, even if the woman was resistant and strong on many levels, she was still a human being. But she was still breathing, probably a result of all the well-placed wounds. It was impressive in a sense, to see how many of them there was, and how many of them where lethal… None. Even the one-inch hole had avoided any important organ. She had been able to heal her a little further, losing sleep in order to hasten her recovery. But she had lost a lot of blood and the damage done needed time to mend.

The truth was, she didn't understand Fate's predicament. If that woman had really been after her life, she would have been dead that day, it was a certitude she shared with her mistress. What was disconcerting was the wounds themselves. None was a critical one. No vital organ was severed or really hurt in the lengthy fight. The wounds were only impressive, not life threatening. All the important vessels had been avoided too. It made absolutely no sense at all.

But even knowing this, the trauma was severe enough to worry her honestly. It would be months before the blonde could wake up, if she ever did. The blonde's body was mostly suffering from trauma and lack of oxygen.

"How is she?" Said a voice on her right.

She started a little, turning to see Hayate standing at her side, staring at the blonde enforcer's face in blatant concern. She sighed, stopping the spell she was currently running above the blonde's body.

"Not much has changed," she admitted sullenly. "Most of the wounds have been healed but even if her blood is now running correctly, it's carrying too little oxygen to help. She still has trouble breathing on her own so we decided to reconnect her to the breathing machine in fear of aggravating the situation if we didn't. Her perforated lungs are mostly healed, some of the damage on the right one didn't mend correctly though, I had to redo it. The ribs are healed for the most part and even if I've been able to make a better job at the hole wound, the spot is still tender and menace to break." She was unable to stop the onslaught of information to drip from her mouth, she was too distressed to hold back. "She has lacked oxygen and blood at some point in time and we are really concerned about the damage that it could have done to her brain. The only good news I can think of right now is that thankfully her linker core has not been targeted, that would have been the last straw."

Taking a much-needed breath, she forced herself to stop the massive flow of her words and spared a look at her mistress. Hayate was crying in silence and she cursed herself for her lack of tact, immediately catching the young Lieutenant-Colonel in a strong hug to try and sooth her anguish. Arms wrapped around her waist and she decided to let her master cry all she wanted on her shoulder. It could do her some good to let out some of the pain after all. If only Nanoha-chan could do the same.

Worry reentered her mind at the thought of the auburn-haired air instructor who was doing her maximum to stay strong but was not doing a good job at it. For the first time since she met her, the Ace of Aces was actually crumbling. What was worse was that she was keeping everyone at arm's length, even her family, guarding her emotions jealously. It was a defense, a safety to keep going on with her life but Shamal was worried for the long run and Hayate was too.

"Shamal," whispered the Lieutenant-Colonel against her, halting her thoughts.

"What is it?" she encouraged her mistress.

"I want you to do something for me," started the young Lieutenant-Colonal, her voice getting stronger as she spoke. "I have no authorization, I have no right, but I want you to do as I say and not question me." It was a little harsh. "Please." Added her mistress, soft and broken and pleading.

"I-I will, you know I will do anything for you," she stammered uncertainly, unbalanced.

Hayate pushed lightly against her shoulders and she let her go, staring in concern and interrogation at her clenched jaw, the quiet determination in her eyes and the flicker of guilt that never left her for long recently were evident. She saw her retrieve something from one of the pockets of her uniform, she couldn't see what it was but for some reason Hayate's hand was shaking. When she opened her hand in front of her, she frowned, not comprehending what she wanted her to do with this tiny crate.

"I want you to implant this in Fate-chan," firmly said her mistress, causing her to stare at the young woman in surprise.

She had to admit she didn't react more after hearing her, baffled by the demand and the conflicted look on her face.

"Would it help?" she finally questioned, wondering why she would want to do that otherwise.

"No questions, please," recalled her the young Lieutenant-Colonel before relenting, closing her eyes with a worn-out sigh. "It should."

"Well, I trust you and your judgment," she tried to reassure her distressed mistress, taking the little thing in her hand.

"What if I don't trust myself anymore?" Asked the brunette, lifting her gaze to look directly in her eyes, searching.

"Oh, Hayate-chan," she smiled soothingly. "You would never do anything to hurt anyone, you just want to protect the ones you care about, there is nothing wrong with that." She went on, squeezing her shoulder in a supportive gesture.

"But what if I make another mistake?" Demanded the Lieutenant-Colonel, glancing at the thing she just gave her.

The blonde doctor glanced at it too, still wondering what it was even if she knew right away that it was quite ancient. She could not say exactly what it was but the tingling on her skin was produced by the thing's magic, she knew that much. Where did her mistress found something like this? Hayate shifted in front of her, determination suddenly replacing the doubt assaulting her just seconds ago.

"It's already too late, I can't change my mind now. I'll take the entire responsibility for it, Shamal," said the brunette, straitening a bit. "Do it, please." It was a soft-spoken order.

The blonde doctor didn't like this one bit, comprehending that the young Lieutenant-Colonel was acting of her own volition, which means that they were about to break some rules. With no approval whatsoever from the council, from the military department, from the other doctors or from Fate's family, this could be considered a treason. _What a dangerous decision to make_, she thought to herself, her gaze landing once again on the little object. She sighed. Dangerous or not, she already gave her word that she would do anything her mistress could ask of her and she was not about to take that back. It was the unadulterated truth.

Turning toward the battered body of the blonde enforcer, she made sure her eyes wouldn't linger on the numerous scars littering her body. The blonde woman had suffered enough in her youth and past missions, how cruel was the world to inflict more pain on her again? Dismissing the not so helpful thought, she discarded the sheet covering Fate's bust and placed her hand above the green smock covering her solar plexus, a green circle spell spreading under her opened palm. Casting a glance to her mistress to have her final approval, she returned to the spell when Hayate nodded her head, paler than usual. She put the little crate on Fate's light green smock right under her spell. Once there, she concentrated, closing her eyes to transfer it in the body under it. She made sure it was correctly implemented and would not hinder the blonde enforcer in any way before cancelling the spell progressively. After a minute or so, she opened her eyes again. It was done.

She turned to Hayate again, looking the conflict still present on her face.

"Where did you find this?" She asked even if she knew she was not supposed to question her mistress.

"Classified," answered Hayate.

"The reason why you didn't talk about this with anyone else is classified too?" She softly deducted, no reproach in her voice, only curiosity as she waited for a confirmation.

"Yes," simply answered her mistress.

She watched as the younger woman reached for her best friend's hand, gently cradling it in her own while she put back the sheet on top of the enforcer. Shamal let out a small sigh and decided to rest her own hand on the both of them, applying light pressure on it to attract Hayate's attention.

"I hope you know what you're doing," she said with a gentle smile to prevent any harm.

"I hope so too," replied the young Lieutenant-Colonel, looking a little lost now that the thing was implanted.

Her mistress turned her hand under her own, catching her fingers softly in her owns and successfully dissipating the concern she was feeling for her. The brunette wore a sincere smile on her lips and truthfully, she had missed it.

"Thank you, Shamal," said Hayate.

"You're welcome," she smiled in return, letting her face relax.

She would do anything for her mistress, and she trusted her with all of their lives. In that moment she decided that she would not regret what they had done and that should the need arise, she will be right behind her to defend her decision. Hayate had tried to do something to help and protect the ones she cared so much for, there was really nothing bad about that. She will support her and face with her whatever was to come, whatever the cost.

"Let me know how it goes," softly requested the Lieutenant-Colonel, retreating to the door after a last squeeze on her hand.

"Of course," she assured her.

With a last, thankful smile the younger brunette left the room and the blonde doctor was left wondering where or how her young mistress had found the little case now entrapped in the blonde enforcer's chest. Most importantly, she kept asking herself why the normally overly cautious Lieutenant-Colonel took such a risk in taking this decision by herself, disregarding the consequences and shying away from the questions it would raise. Probably because it was illegal on some level. Pausing at the thought, she frowned. It was a desperate move.

Her mistress will need all the support she could give her so she better takes good care of Fate-chan for now, and address any additional problem on the go.

Summoning another spell, she ran a full checkup for the hundred time this week and froze in consternation. The magic part of the spell skyrocketed when she scanned the little thing she just implanted in the blonde enforcer, forcing her to check it twice to be sure she was reading it correctly. Whatever this thing was it was very powerful… and probably very dangerous too. She was half tempted to run after Hayate and demand a real explanation this time but she couldn't force her to speak the truth. She could only have faith in her mistress.

* * *

It was the week-end already and Nanoha was fidgeting on the seat, driving to the TSAB Headquarters with an excited Vivio in the backseat. She was driving safely if not slowly, dragging on the twenty minutes car drive in fear of seeing her again. For the last few weeks she had gone to visit Fate-chan on a daily basis. She couldn't stay all day like the blonde enforcer had done with her when she almost died years ago, she just couldn't bear it. It was a torment far worse than she had imagined and she was frequently asking herself how her best friend had managed, how she had dealt with the anguish. She didn't know for sure if she was ready to go there with Vivio in tow because when alone in that room, she couldn't help but cry herself to exhaustion and she didn't want her little girl to see her like that.

She had to be strong for her.

Truthfully, she had hesitated to call Hayate and ask her to go with them. Or even Lindy-san. But in the end, she did not because she didn't want to be a crying mess in front of them either. She'll be strong, that's what Fate-chan would want her to be.

The Headquarters were in sight and in no time at all she found herself driving to the car park nearest to the medical department, parking in a free spot and staying there for a while. Vivio had talked of her day at school nonstop in the car but she didn't really listen to her, only making some non-committal noises every so often to make sure she wouldn't worry. Now that they were here though, she had to pull her act together. And she had to brass herself. When the full extent of Fate's condition will hit her daughter, she will have to lessen the blow to the sandy blonde child. She had to.

"Mama?"

Turning around, she smiled and unfastened her seat-belt, exiting the car. Vivio did the same and, taking her small hand, she started to walk toward the medical department, making sure to monitor her expression. She had to smile. Some agents on duty where looking at them as they entered the building but she ignored them. She saw Teana looking at them in the distance but she didn't react to that either, too focused on the little girl trotting beside her. They entered the pristine white side of the building and took a deserted corridor.

Upon entering Fate-chan's room she froze on the spot, discovering Lindy-san, Vita-chan and Arf who was crying, the stress to have them in here making her want to turn around and come back later. But she couldn't avoid everyone. Vita-chan had said that to her two days ago while they were training the recruits. Vivio released her hand and she ran to Fate's medical bed, tears already in her beautiful eyes as she let out a distressed cry.

"Mama!"

It burned her chest to hear the distress in her young voice.

"Nanoha-chan," greeted her Lindy-san with a sad smile, making a move to come and embrace her but she walked to her daughter, rejecting the kind gesture.

It was quite rude of her and she didn't want to offend her or anything like that but she just couldn't trust herself if she was embraced by her best friend's adopted mother. It would be too much. She had been playing the hide and seek game for weeks now, sparing her spiraling feelings as much as she could but it was getting old by now and everyone was probably frustrated by her behavior. They were kind enough to not call her on it yet though.

"Shh, Vivio, it'll be okay," she tried to sooth the little girl who was standing beside the bed. "Your Fate-mama is strong, you know that, right?" She added, rubbing her back.

Her daughter nodded but the look on her face, so lost, broke her heart all over again. There was so many scars on Fate's arms and neck. Tears started to fall on her little cheeks and she kneeled beside her, bringing her in her arms and hugging her fiercely.

"Oh, baby girl, don't cry, it'll be okay," she whispered in her ear, catching a glimpse at the two women and the wolf teen, observing them when she turned slightly.

Vivio didn't respond or answer to her and it was saddening her. She was worried for her. All the warnings she had told her child about this visit were not said for nothing and she was fearing that seeing Fate like this could dampen the girl's natural happy go lucky behavior. It had hurt her deeply already, she just could see it.

"Do you want me to take you back home?"

"No!" Shouted Vivio, catching her by surprise with her sudden vehemence. "No, I'll be really good, mama," she answered more softly. After a hesitation a blush came to her tear streaked cheeks, melting her. "C-Can I hold her hand, please?" The timid tone was cute and quite unexpected.

"Of course, Vivio," she said, smiling while grabbing the nearby chair and putting it against the bed. "Make sure to not disturb anything, okay?"

"I'll be careful, mama," nodded her child, her eyes never leaving the still form of her unconscious mama.

"Good," lifting her daughter, Nanoha placed her securely on the chair, watching as she instantly reached for her blonde mama's limp hand.

It made her smile despite the sadness she was feeling. Someone cleared their throat behind her and she turned, seeing the pointed look on Vita-chan's face she realized she would not avoid the three of them this time. Lindy-san and Arf were obviously expecting some sort of conversation with her too, watching her attentively. Even if she wanted to stand right behind Vivio and stroke her hair, she had to comply to the implied demand. Keeping on ignoring them would be far too rude. Dropping a kiss on the little head of sandy blonde hair, she walked away from the bed and stood with the others, away enough for them to talk without the girl overhearing them as long as they spoke softly.

"Nanoha, did you sleep?" Vita wasted no time, observing her face attentively.

"Yes," she answered automatically, not bothering to say the truth as she sent a glance at her daughter, making sure she was alright. Sort of.

"Liar," snorted the short woman, crossing her arms on her chest in aggravation.

"I tried to," she corrected herself, her gaze coming back to the short knight, frowning a little at the assault.

"You should take better care of yourself," mumbled Vita accusingly. "If you look like the dead when Fate wakes up, you'll send her right back in a coma," commented the short knight, giving her a sharp look of annoyance.

"If she wakes up," she corrected automatically, her eyes shifting yet again in her daughter's direction but to take a look at Fate this time.

She didn't want to rise her hopes high only to have them crash if anything was to go wrong again. She was not certain if she could survive another downfall.

"When she wakes up," intervened Lindy, the assertiveness in her tone making the air instructor look at her now.

They stared at each other for a long time, the Admiral frowning slightly while Nanoha herself was trying to decipher the look on the older woman's face. It was a reprimand but there was something else in there she had a hard time reading.

"No one gives up on my daughter, Nanoha, not even you," kindly reminded her the Admiral.

A sharp, red hot pain shot through her chest and she gasped mutely, doing her best to hide the appalling reaction. _"Don't give up on her!"_ Her own voice was echoing in her head and she swayed a little, feeling sick. Had she given up on her best friend to shield herself against the pain, the anguish and the endless tears? Unconsciously maybe she had. As it sank in her mind, she closed her eyes. What kind of best friend was she?

She knew that her reaction was not normal, that she was probably overreacting with the whole situation and that she shouldn't feel shattered like this but she had no control over it. Fate was only her best friend but she was her very best friend… She realized with a start that arms were embracing her. At some point in her turmoil, Lindy had brought her arms around her, probably to keep her steady. A silent sob racked her chest and her whole body shook with it, leaving her weak in the knees. She was as silent as possible as to not alert Vivio but she had to regain control! She had to!

"Nanoha-chan, I'm sorry, I didn't want to hurt you," whispered the Admiral, concerned.

A glance behind her revealed to her that Vita and Arf were overly concerned now too and as if it was not sufficient, the door opened behind her. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down and when it was not sufficient, she did it again. She had to! Gently, she disengaged herself from the older woman, giving her a smile as a quiet apology. She was grasping the remnants of her control and she now felt like she could manage. Hopefully.

"Sorry, I didn't get much sleep recently," she murmured, throwing a tired look at Vita.

"Are you eating correctly?" Asked Shamal behind her, drawing Vivio's attention to them.

When she checked on her girl, she felt like crying again. Silent tears were running on her baby girl's cheeks, her eyes were swollen with them and her bottom lip was trembling while she tried to stifle her sobs. She went to her in a second flat, bending down to give her an enveloping hug from behind. The sandy blonde was shaking slightly but she didn't let go of Fate's hand, clutching it more tightly in fear of losing it. She saw it, and she understood right away. She was truly scared now to lose her Fate-mama. The door opened once more, giving way to Chrono-kun and Teana. Inwardly she cursed her bad luck. Was it a coincidence or a reunion… or something? Where they teaming up on her?

"Shh, baby girl, shh. It'll be okay," what else could she say to her?

"I don't want Fate-mama to leave," brokenly whimpered the little blonde, a loud sob escaping her.

She heard a shuffling, some whispering and a sniffle but she didn't pay attention to it, concentrating solely on her girl.

"She won't Vivio, what did I just tell you?" She calmly asked, smoothing down her tone to appease her.

"F-Fate-mama is s-strong," sobbed the sandy blonde.

"Exactly, your Fate-mama is very strong, she'll come back to us," she said, praying every deity she could think of to make it come true.

She nodded, still crying but her sobbing had eased up while she was still clutching the limp hand desperately. How she had hoped for her poor daughter not to see her mama like this but she had been weak and she felt like she had failed her in some way. Ignoring the burning pain to touch her best friend herself, she let up the hug, keeping her hands on her daughter's shoulders as she assessed the rest of the room. Chrono-kun was uncomfortable and Teana was looking elsewhere, blinking rapidly. Vita was clenching her fists in silent fury, powerless against the tears of a child. Lindy was still watching her with that concerned, caring eyes of hers. Arf was uncharacteristically very quiet, anguish in her face and her skin looking ashen in the bright light of the room. Shamal, ever so attentive, was scrutinizing her.

It was unnerving, all the attention directed at her. All she wanted to do was climb on that bed and curl against Fate-chan until she finally woke up but it was not going to happen anytime soon. So much for a quiet, private visit with Vivio.

"Nanoha-chan?" Shamal was still observing her.

For some reason she felt the need to explain herself to the blonde doctor, to defend herself as to why she would bring her daughter here in the first place. After all, it was hardly a suitable place for a child and Shamal's eyes had that effect on her.

"She wanted to see her, she needed to see her," she said, keeping the regret at bay for now.

"How long have you deferred this?" softly guessed the blonde, merely curious and ever concerned.

"W-well," she casted a quick glance at her girl who was still watching her Fate-mama, frowning up a storm at the scars. "Nearly a month," she said, caressing her daughter's neck with her thumb in a silent apology, soothing her at the same time.

Vivio was not talking to anyone anymore but she was not stupid and she was listening. Shamal eyes went to her daughter, softening greatly when she saw how she was clutching her unconscious mama's hand for dear life.

It was getting a bit much to stay in there, with so many eyes on them, silently watching when all she wanted to do was hid in a dark corner and cry for all she was worth. She needed Fate far more than she had ever thought, it was frightening to see the extent of the pit voiding her. She hated what she was becoming too. The dark, sad thoughts were not her. Only Fate had this power on her, the power to make her lose rational thoughts, feelings or emotions.

Only Fate.

"Mama," called Vivio, cutting the heavy silence.

"Mm?" she hummed, distracted.

"Can I kiss her?" Asked the little girl.

Her eyes went a little wide at the unexpected question, catching her off guard. So, she sent an interrogative glance to Shamal who nodded in response, giving her approval with a sad smile. The teary demand nearly broke her in front of all of them and she had hoped that Shamal would disapprove. Breathing deeply again, Nanoha made sure to keep a straight face and neared the head of the bed to pick up her daughter.

"Baby girl, you need to let her hand go," she murmured to her.

Once she did, she scooped her fully, balancing her weigh in her arms and securing her hold on her to make sure she wouldn't slip down and land on her wounded mama. To make things easier for her, Vivio slipped one of her arms behind her neck and the auburn-haired woman smiled gently at her.

"Be careful," she whispered while bending over the bed, the door opening again.

"I will," promised the little girl in a subdued tone.

She reached one of her hand, laying it cautiously on her mama's forehead, caressing it and tearing up at the same time for a second or two. Then she leaned down and kissed her mama's cheek, lingering a bit and tearing up even more. It was pure torture for Nanoha and she almost let out a whimper but she used her tongue to block it, the resulting sound emanating from her throat being more strangled than anything else. Vivio helped her regain her balance and Nanoha straightened them both, giving a hug to the girl in the movement.

"Thank you, mama," her daughter's voice was small and she didn't like it.

Setting her on the ground she decided to let her do as she pleased and watched as the little girl came back to the chair. She was about to join the others, finally catching the trademark pink of Signum's hair in the room when Vivio ran to the still opened door, evading the grasp of the adults and leaving the room in a sprint.

"Vivio!" She called after her but was stopped by Shamal when she neared her. "Let me go, she needs me!"

"Nanoha-chan, we are worried about you," slowly said the blonde doctor, conveying the full extent of their concern in her tone.

She went a little tense, boring her sky-blue eyes in the blonde's amethyst ones.

"You don't have to, I'm fine, everything is fine," she stubbornly said, deflecting the concern and yanking her arm to set it free but the blonde held her fast.

"Nanoha!" Shouted Vita in an accusing tone, frustrated beyond belief.

Lindy took a step toward the door, probably in the intend of chasing the crying child that was her granddaughter, her concern splitting between mother and daughter.

"Not now," she curtly snapped in a tight voice, sending her a steely glare.

The short-tempered knight made a face but said nothing more. Freeing her arm forcefully she turned around, flashing them an apologetic and painful smile before she fled the room, running after her daughter. She couldn't stay there and discuss when Vivio was in such a turmoil that she actually ran away from the room. Chastising herself for bringing her here, she was entering the hall when she spotted a little head of sandy blond hair exiting the building. Making a sharp turn to avoid colliding with a woman looking at a stack of papers, she almost lost her balance, regained her equilibrium and dashed for the entrance doors. Flinging them open, she sped up her pace.

"Vivio!"

Her little girl was running to the black car waiting for them in its spot. Once she reached it, her daughter stopped and bent down to catch her breath, giving her the time to run to her and crush her in a frayed hug.

"Don't do that to me, baby girl," she softly reproached the young girl, hugging and lifting her up in the same movement as tears pricked her eyes.

"I'm sorry, mama," hiccuped the sandy blonde, gripping her shirt in her small fists. "It hurts," complained her daughter, crying against her neck, circling her waist with her legs and burying her face in the crook of her neck as her small body shook with sobs.

"I know, Vivio. I know," she whispered in a soothing tone, rubbing her back repeatedly to ease her sobs.

Hugging her a little more, she started to rock her from side to side, slowly enough to make sure she would not feel sick after being subjected to this treatment for some minutes. It seemed to help, after five or six minutes, the little blonde quieted significantly in her hold, still clutching tightly her shirt and burying her face in her mother's neck. She was too focused on her distressed daughter to be aware of the lone tear running down on her cheek or the mages gathered in the building's hall, the ones closest to her observing them in silent helplessness. What happened with her little girl was exactly what she wanted to avoid in the first place and it pained her to have relented, seeing the emotional state Vivio was now in. No more sounds were coming from the sandy blonde child and she was heavily weighing on her now, her legs no longer supporting her weigh. Suspecting that she had cried herself to exhaustion, Nanoha maneuvered to open the car's door, she securely and delicately laid her down on the leather backseat. Once she was sure she was not going to fall from it, she threw a glance at the building, discovering the others. Smiling, she waved to them and got in the driver's seat. With a sigh, she started the engine and softly closed the door. She had to take her daughter back to their house and see what she could do to lessen her fears. And also, she had to be strong…

* * *

And that's it for this chapter. So. What do you think? Good or bad? Thanks for reading!


	7. Recovery and Admission

Hi there, chapter seven is up! Obviously lol. There is hope, there is talk too. And damn, this fanfic is going to be a long one, bear with me please. Thank you for the comments, they are truly appreciated!

Genetic-depression: sorry for your heart, that was not (completely) intended. I'm trying my hardest to make this story entertaining and the OC not too annoying. Hope it'll turn out okay in the long run. You'll tell me! Thank you for your interest, please, enjoy this chapter!

Mary: Me alegra que te guste la historia. Gracias. Espero que te guste este capítulo. ¡Buena lectura! (my spanish is not so great, sorry)

Grace: Here it is, hope you'll like it!

Have a nice read and a nice day, dear readers!

* * *

_**Two of Diamond**_

7\. Recovery and Admissions

* * *

Hayate Yagami had received a report from Shamal not even four days later reevaluating her best friend's recovery. Yes, recovery. Since she had asked the blonde doctor to implant this Echo thing in her friend's body, and vitals stabilized on their own in the span of forty-eight hours. After that, minor and subtle changes had been observed by the green clad woman who had become Fate's referent doctor. Fascinated with what was happening, Shamal had decided to take care of the blonde enforcer full time which resulted in the others doctors in shying away from the most looked after patient of the medical department. In all honesty, the Lieutenant-Colonel was pleased with it, it meant that she didn't have to worry about another doctor discovering the foreign object in her best friend's chest. It was buying her some time. But not much.

And she was still conflicted.

This device, whatever was its origin, was doing a great job at healing the battered enforcer but at what cost? It was a question nagging her from morning to evening every day since she took the decision to use it. She was tempted to contact Yuuno and ask him to do a research for her on the matter but would he be discreet enough? And what would he find? Some alarming mysteries or a harmless healing case? She was so very conflicted…

Massaging her right temple, her eyes glided toward Rein sitting at her small desk. What would they think of her if they knew the appalling risk she had taken, potentially endangering all of them? And Nanoha-chan, what will she say once she will find out?

What will become of Fate-chan after this?

Resisting the urge to groan at her thoughts, she came to the only conclusion possible for a pragmatic officer. She simply had to know more about this thing. As a Lieutenant-Colonel she needed more information on the Echo because she needed to prevent any harm it could do. She needed to protect the ones she cared about. That strange woman never came to visit her again, not even once. It was a relief but also a bit of a loss. She probably knew much more about the Echo than she had said to her in this short meeting of theirs but it was a dead-end. She would not reappear before her. She had made it clear that she shouldn't do that ever again.

"Rein," she called, typing on her screen to check Yuuno's schedule.

"Yes, master Hayate?" She didn't look in her direction but she heard her smile in her tone.

"I have to leave for a moment, will you be alright by yourself?" She knew she would be, there was no reason for her to worry about this but she was.

"Of course, I have plenty to do but I can manage," answered Zwei.

She sent her a smile, turned off her monitor screen and hoped on her feet.

"Then I'll be absent for a moment," she nodded, grateful, before leaving her office.

She went to Griffith who looked up at her in surprise but waited for her to talk to him first, knowing better than to comment her incessant comings and goings as of late.

"I'll be absent for a while, Rein is in charge," she said to him, ignoring the twinkle of curiosity in his eyes.

"Yes, Lieutenant-Colonel," was his response.

She left then, striding in the corridors like a bull charging a red fanon. She hesitated long enough on what she should do or not do with this Echo, berating herself for hours on end after what she demanded Shamal to do. Logically, she knew the knight of the Lac was supporting her unconditionally but it was not easing up her fears or her doubts. Now, she had to go see the blonde boy and make him understand that she'd like his help on something confidential. After involving Shamal she was about to involve Yuuno now as well. It better be worth all the risks she was bestowing upon herself and the others or she might just hunt down that woman like she promised to do after all.

Taking a turn, she went to the elevator. No one was in the vicinity and it was a blessing. Pushing the lowest level, she let the doors slide shut and waited for the numbers to decrease on the little screen.

How should she explain it all to him? What could she say and what was best keeping to herself? Well, she won't ever mention the woman or they could question her sanity. Not to mention she could be court marshalled for the encounter, it could be considered like a treason. So, no, she couldn't talk about this woman. Hmm, which meant she couldn't explain how she got the little artifact in the first place. Bothersome, she had to make up something.

The elevator made a sound and the doors opened. Ah, at least she knew its name, it was something.

Walking out of the elevator she went down the long, not at all frequented corridor connecting the main elevator to the Infinite Library. This place was far too big and too cold for her tastes. A door slided open and she entered the main room of the library, finding Arf and Yuuno floating in the air, both researching some books in concentration. When she entered the peaceful room, the librarian lifted his gaze from his researches and lifted an eyebrow in surprise.

"Lieutenant-Colonel," greeted the blonde man, dropping to the ground.

"Hello, Yuuno-kun," she smiled, sending a curious look to Arf who was floating way higher.

The familiar gave her a wave that she returned then she went back to the book she was reading. The man came nearer, tilting his head a little in interrogation. No one ever came all the way down here, favoring the calls over the visits so it was a bit of a shock to see her here for him, she could tell.

"What can I do for you?" asked the blonde boy contemplating her.

"I need you to do a research for me, exclusively," she said, adding the last part hesitantly.

"I can do that," he answered, though a little more surprised.

"It is very important, I would like you to do it as soon as possible as it's quite urgent too," she went on, searching her words carefully.

"Okay," he said slowly, wondering.

"And as I said, just for me, do not disclose what you will find to anyone else," she repeated, she had to make this point very clear.

"You're starting to worry me there," he let out in slight concern.

"Yeah, I'm a bit worried myself," she admitted, giving him an apologetic smile.

She sighed, sent another look in Arf general's direction and he seemed to understand her discomfort, making a gesture for her to follow him. The walked to the back of the circular room and entered a little office. Deciding that sitting would make her even more nervous, she stayed near the door, standing awkwardly while her walked to his desk and sat on the edge, listening.

"Do you know anything about an artifact called Echo?" She asked cautiously.

Now that she was there, biting around the bush was out of the question.

"Echo?" He repeated, frowning a bit. "It does ring a bell," he said, obviously trying to remember why and where he saw this name.

"Do you think you could create a file compiling all the information we have on it?" She demanded, relieved to see him recognize the name at least.

"Yes, no problem," he agreed and then looked in the eyes attentively. "Any reason in particular you're searching for that?"

"Well, yes and no. But I'd like to keep a low profile on the subject for now, it's… complicated," she warily explained, joining her hands in her back, uneasy.

Yuuno was frowning even more by now and she was starting to think that maybe it was a bad idea to go to him. He was a naturally curious boy and it could be a problem in her predicament. On the other hand, he was the only one she could trust with this research, he was quite knowledgeable and effective in his researches. His dedication was certainly a plus too.

"I'll do it, Hayate-san, relax," he finally said, smiling ever so slightly to appease her.

"Thank you, Yuuno-kun," she answered, effectively relaxing some. "I'll leave you to it then."

She turned around to leave.

"Ah! Hayate-san, wait!" His call was hesitant.

She turned to him again and saw some worry on his face as he shifted on his feet, joining his hands to keep them in check. She paused and frowned a bit at his uneasiness.

"Yes?" She prompted him gently.

"How… How is Nanoha?" He demanded, his eyes meeting hers once more in unabashed concern.

"She…" Trailing off, she sighed, not wanting to disclose the true extent of her concern for her best friend but telling herself that he had a right to know. "She is not doing too good to be honest but she conceals it."

"I see," he whispered, his shoulders sagging a bit. "Maybe I should speak with her?"

He was seeking her advice and he wanted to help so she smiled at him but she knew already that it would not reach the stubborn air instructor.

"You can try, but we all failed so don't take it personally if she shuns you," she warned softly, a hopeless smile on her lips.

"Okay," he nodded.

She stayed a little bit longer to see if he wanted to ask her anything else but seeing as he was spacing out in his little office, she made to turn and leave the room.

"Wait!"

Making sure to not roll her eyes, she faced him again, her eyebrow twitching in aggravation but she didn't make a comment, knowing full well that he was slightly shaken too. The Wolkenritten or Fate-chan herself were not particularly close to him but the boy knew full well that it had greatly affected the two Aces, it was no secret for the entire staff. And he was friend with the both of them.

"How is she?" He asked, suddenly fidgeting. "I… I didn't go there yet, I don't want to see anyone like that."

He could be annoying sometimes but deep down he was a sweet boy. She could remember his ashen face at seeing her best friend's state after the Nanoha incident, the one that took the air instructor's right arm and right eye. Like all of them, he hadn't liked it one bit but the one who went crazy at the time was Fate-chan. It made her smile a little. She had reacted differently from Nanoha's current reaction but her two best friends shared they lack of rationality when one of them was hurt, it was almost funny to watch. Big emphasis on the almost.

"She is not in critical danger anymore but the recovery could be a hassle in itself," she informed him as neutrally as she could manage.

"That's good to hear… well, n-not the hassle part b-but, you know," he was flustered by his own words, shaking his hands to prevent any misconception and it was quite the sight.

"I know what you mean and yeah, it's a nice change but I fear…" She stopped herself before she could say something she could regret.

The concern and guilt were wreaking havoc in her since he started to talk about Fate-chan so she clenched her jaw two or three times in a row, breathing slowly. She had to go back to her office, with the terrorist organization attacking the TSAB facilities at random for weeks now, someone might need to contact her. She could not go missing for too long.

"It'll be okay, Hayate-san."

His attempt at reassuring her was weak and not very helpful but he was sincere enough, giving her an encouraging smile so she smiled in turn, thanking him wordlessly before turning and leaving for good this time. Crossing the main room in the other direction, she lifted her eyes to see Arf watching her so she waved her good-bye to her and went on her way. Going to the elevator, she pushed the fifth floor and waited again. The day was still young and she had a lot of work waiting for her on different floors.

* * *

Later that day, when the agents were progressively leaving in order to go home and get a good night sleep, she was exiting the main building of the TSAB Headquarters and stopped when she spotted Nanoha talking with Yuuno. She had not heard about his research yet but she was confident in his dedication so she had not pressed him. As for Nanoha, she was as concerned as ever. Vita-chan let her know four days ago that Vivio finally came to visit her injured mama and that the visit didn't go too well. She had been sad to hear it.

Her best friend was talking with Yuuno though and for a minute or so, she was tempted to believe that the blonde ferret boy had indeed reached the air instructor but her hope was short lived. Nanoha took a step back from him, lifting a hand to halt him as he tried to come closer to her. Ah, well. At least she didn't Divine Shoot him, it was always a plus.

When the ferret boy left, she decided to go talk with her, not necessarily about Fate-chan but she wanted to keep her company for a while. She needed to help her best friend in whatever way she could, even if said best friend was being difficult about it. Approaching her, she waited patiently for her to remark her presence and when she did, Hayate simply smiled at her, letting her know that if she didn't want to talk, they didn't have to.

So here she was, walking on the headquarters alley, keeping company to her distraught friend and stealing glances at her every so often. The Air Instructor was mostly back to her normal self, at least in appearance but the shorter woman knew her better than that and she was not fooled by the act she was pulling. If you were to study her closely, you could easily see the turmoil in her eyes, the forced straightness of her back and the slight jerk in her steps. Nanoha was concealing it all under her carefully composed expression but Hayate just knew better. Although, understanding quite well that she needed the delusion to keep her emotions in check, she did not poke nor did she mention it to her face.

After all, she knew how it felt. The silence between them was not right though and it was bordering on oppressive so, making up her mind, she decided to talk.

"How is Vivio?" Prudently asked the Lieutnant-Colonel, disrupting the silence between them.

Nanoha faltered and she saw it but said nothing about it as to not embarrass her friend.

"She's doing okay," answered the Air Instructor, voice soft like always when mentioning her adopted daughter.

"I'm happy to hear it," nodded the brunette, going with the lie but knowing better.

Her best friend then stopped in her tracks and Hayate did the same, fully turning to her and trying to decipher the emotion taking over her face.

"Actually, that's a lie," confessed her auburn-haired friend with a sigh.

"You know you can trust me, right?" She softly asserted, wishing she would actually speak with her about her turmoil, if only to not drown in it.

"Yes, I know," a small but true smile was now on her best friend's lips.

Hayate smiled back at her and gave her the time she needed to compose herself again, looking elsewhere to make her more at ease while she wondered once again what was the relationship between her two best friends. It was so strong, so evident, that half of them just assumed that those two were a pair, not believing them when her two friends contradicted their belief, yet it was what they were. It was confusing everyone, herself included. Nanoha and Fate were so exclusive sometimes that she herself felt a little left out on some occasions but she understood it quite well. She was rather exclusive with her knights too, in a sense. Her two best friends often acted like lovers without even realizing it but they were not actual lovers, that much was a certitude. It was a beautiful but puzzling relationship really.

"She insisted on visiting Fate-chan last week," explained Nanoha, effectively ending her thoughts.

"You let her," didn't really guess the Lieutenant-Colonel, stating it.

"I didn't want to but she was so insistent, I finally relented and she came along during one of my visits," said the Air Instructor, some regret lingering in her eyes.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," calmly advised Hayate, her hand going to her friend's shoulder to squeeze it encouragingly, pleased to see that her friend didn't shy away from the gesture this time. "How did it go?"

"As soon as she saw her, she stopped talking. She just took a hold of her hand and sat at her side for a while, tears flowing freely on her cheeks," related Nanoha wringing her hands in discomfort at the not so pleasant memory.

Hayate let out a heavy sigh and her heart gave a compassionate throb for the young girl. Vivio was a strong little girl but she too was affected by this mess and like any other child confronted with a weakened parent, she had cried. It was to be expected.

"She cries every night," confessed Nanoha, worry permeating her tone. "I am doing my very best to soothe her fears but… it's taking a toll on me, I guess."

"We're all here for you if you need us," she reminded her.

"I'd like to distract Vivio but I have a hard time doing it myself," sighed Nanoha, massaging one of her temples.

"Say no more, I will take her with me for a couple of days," she offered, giving her an encouraging smile.

Grateful, Nanoha took a step toward her and initiated a hug between them. Hayate returned the hug with as much strength as her friend, happy to be of some help for her. The air instructor actually initiated a hug with someone other than her daughter, it was an improvement. Thinking of her offer, she turned it over in her head, coming to the conclusion that it could do her own family some good. For her too. It would give her the opportunity to think about something other than this Echo thing. It would give her the opportunity to not be plagued by the words a certain someone said to her, keeping on replaying in her mind to her dismay. Something who had nothing to do with long silver hair and striking red eyes for example. A weird feeling of longing shot in her chest, making it clear it would not be that easy to get rid of her budding fascination and she lamented silently. She was a hopeless fool.

"Actually, Hayate-chan, I don't think Vivio would like to be separated from me after that visit," Nanoha talked again, bringing her back to the here and now.

"Oh, understandable," she replied, giving herself a mental slap for her lack of discernment.

"Would it be okay for me to join?" Softly asked the taller woman, hesitant while still hugging her.

Her eyes shot open in surprise but a fierce sense of satisfaction was already spreading her lips at the idea. How did she not think of it herself? Of course, she could come along and stay with her family, her best friends and their daughter were always welcome in her house. Didn't she know that?

"Anytime," she answered, squeezing her best friend for good measure. "The both of you can come home anytime you want, Nanoha-chan," she had to say it out loud, her friend needed to hear it.

"I will go and get Vivio, then I'll prepare a bag for the both of us," her tone was lighter and when she leaned back, her face sported a grateful smile.

"You do that, we'll be waiting for you," she nodded, keeping her hand in her own and smiling at seeing less dread in the auburn-haired woman.

"Thank you, the house is… empty without Fate-chan," Nanoha hesitantly admitted, hurt flashing in her blue eyes.

"Go get your little girl, then I'll spoil the both of you rotten," she joked, flashing one of her famous smirks.

Her best friend laughed a bit, wiping the tears that wanted to spill over her lids and she nodded, squeezing her hand before retreating to Fate-chan's black car. Her best friend was driving it a lot as of late, probably seeking the blonde enforcer's presence in it. She watched as she pulled out of the parking lot and sped away. She was more moved than she wanted to admit and she berated herself again for not thinking of this earlier. It was quite evident Nanoha would hurt even more in their shared house. She really was a hopeless fool sometimes.

* * *

Parking her car in front of the Yagami residence, Nanoha let out a sigh of relief. She could maybe sleep correctly tonight and not cry herself to exhaustion for a change. There was just so much a bit of make-up could conceal and she was not the make-up type so it was becoming quite clear that something was wrong with her. Other than the obvious itself, that is. Vivio was looking at the foreign, big house with a bit of apprehension and she couldn't blame her. With all that had happened recently, her little blonde was understandably a lot more reserved. She was uncomfortable with the idea of barging into her best friend's private life and be confronted with the whole Wolkenritten but she needed a change so much that she had said what came to her mind before thinking it through. It was a bit embarrassing but no one had to know that part.

Opening her door, she exited the black car and helped her daughter in doing the same. Then she got their bag and walked to the front door with Vivio tightly gripping her hand. Her little sandy blonde was anxious and she herself felt a tad nervous. The door opened at the exact same moment they stopped in front of it, revealing a smiling Shamal.

"Here you are!" Exclaimed warmly the blonde doctor, opening the door a bit more. "Please, come in!"

She couldn't help but smile slightly at her enthusiastic welcome. Somehow, the blonde knight had a kind of motherly tone to her voice and, as strange as it was, it was comforting so she relaxed a little while entering the house.

"Thanks for having us," she replied, leaving their bag at the entrance.

"No need to be so polite, Nanoha-chan, please go on," said the blonde, gesturing toward the living room before closing the door.

Doing as she was told, she entered the living room and stopped dead in her tracks, looking at the teal haired woman currently sipping some tea in some sort of a shock. Then she looked toward Zafira and saw Arf against him in her puppy form. Her right lid twitched and she spotted her best friend, giving her a peeved glare.

"Ah, hmm, Nanoha-chan, I encountered Lindy-san when I was leaving the Headquarters and, you see… She was worried and… it slipped from my lips, and…" Hayate trailed off, a sheepish smile on her lips while she silently pleaded with her to not chew her out for this.

There was a silence and Nanoha couldn't help but to feel cornered, even if she was the one creating the feeling it in the first place. Vivio was still gripping her hand, not comprehending what was going on but wanting to stay as close to her as possible. The fact that Signum and Vita-chan were both sitting in the room as well was embarrassing her even more than she already was. She knew her reaction to the older woman was unfair and could hurt her but she couldn't help it, it was clawing at her heart.

"I'm starting to think you dislike me, Nanoha-chan," calmly but sadly said the Admiral, setting her cup of tea back on the table.

The woman was not looking in her direction, a frown on her features. If she was to observe her more carefully, she thought that she could see a tinge of hurt in the teal eyes staring at the cup absentmindedly.

"Not at all," she refuted right away, taking a step toward the older woman.

Another silence while the teal haired woman lifted her gaze to assess her, confused by the lag between her words and her behavior toward her. Nanoha was having a hard time controlling her emotions with so many people around but she tried to reign it in. She didn't want to hurt anyone, it was the last thing she ever wanted to do. She was an idiot.

"I know I've been unfair to you but somehow… It's just… harder, with you around."

There, she said it. That's why she was avoiding the teal haired Admiral like the plague. She threw a glance at Arf then indicating to everyone that she felt the same way around Fate's familiar. For some reason Fate's smiling face flashed in her mind, the burgundy red eyes twinkling, and she felt a tremor of hurt and longing run down her spine, discreetly enough for them to not see it. _Fate-chan_. They were all looking at her in concern now though and she didn't like it. Putting on a serene smile and waving her free hand dismissively at their concerned stares, she couldn't help but to add. "Don't mind me," scratching her neck awkwardly afterward.

"Nanoha-chan," sighed Lindy-san, standing from her spot on the couch and nearing her. "You don't have to go through this alone," said the older woman, saddened by what she just said to them.

"I…" Her throat closed on itself painfully, strangling whatever she was about to say to defend herself and Lindy wrapped her arms around her.

It was far too much, too soon. She was not ready for that and she felt herself tearing up, very much mortified by her lack of control. She didn't want them to see that side of her, the part of her that was weak and shivering in fear. The intake of breath she took at that moment was far too loud and she knew everyone heard it in the otherwise silent room. She was losing the battle against her tears and she went rigid in the Admiral's arms, trying her hardest not to break down.

"Mama?" The little hand in her own was tugging her down.

The worried voice of Vivio shook her to the core and she blinked, her moment of weakness fading away as soon as she heard her daughter. She had to be strong for her little girl. She had to, not matter how much it was hurting her to just pretend she was fine. She was worrying everyone because she was too weak to conceal her turmoil efficiently but she didn't want them to fuss over her. Carefully breaking Lindy's hold on herself, she turned to Vivio who was tearing up herself, not comprehending but worrying for her mother all the same.

"I'm alright, Vivio, don't cry baby girl," she softly said to her daughter, kneeling and smiling at her.

"I'm not a baby," the little blonde protested, scrunching up her nose.

"That's right," she concurred, ignoring everyone else as she stroked her cheek, wiping away the lone tear trailing down on it.

Vivio mimicked her, resting her little hand on her own cheek and she felt some moisture being wiped by her daughter, her eyes went wide in surprise and a bit of shock. One of them had spilled over without her even realizing it. Smiling to the worried little girl she knelt completely, bringing her in her arms to give her a hug, whispering softly in her ear that mama was alright and that Vivio was a strong little girl too. She felt more than saw her nod against her shoulder and she rubbed her back, easing up the little sob escaping her. Once she was calm again, Nanoha freed her from the hug and stood again, sending a grateful smile to her silently watching best friend.

"Thanks for having us, Hayate-chan," she said, remembering her manners.

"You're quite welcome, Nanoha-chan," replied the brunette, relaxing at the friendly display and smiling too.

"Well, now that everything is fine, should we eat?" Asked Shamal, clapping her hands happily and seeking her mistress' approval.

"Yes, let's," nodded enthusiastically the young Lieutenant-Colonel, leading the way toward the big table.

Nanoha casted a glance to Arf on her way there, wondering how the familiar was holding up with Fate in such a bad shape but she refrained from speaking. She avoided her for the better part of the last months so it was not really her place to ask. Hayate had told her that she was visiting her every day when she was too sick to go on with her work at the Infinite Library but she didn't say much apart from that. This situation was hard on the familiar too, she should at least show her some support. She made a mental note to go visit her sometime during the week.

Once everyone was situated the diner went smoothly, everyone making the conversation flow back and forth, avoiding the most obviously sensitive subjects, Fate being one of them. Agito and Rein's antics were actually funny to watch and Lindy spent some time showering Vivio with her attention, distracting her and making her smile a lot. Hayate was clearly happy with the big reunion and she had to admit it felt good to be in a lively house. Although, she saw the glances that the Lieutenant-Colonel was throwing in Shamal's direction every so often, the two seeming to discuss something in private. It was a little disconcerting to see them smile but pay no attention whatsoever to the current discussion.

Curious, she kept her gaze on the brunette, waiting for her to notice before asking what was on her mind. When another set of blue eyes met her own, she opened the link. _Are you okay, Hayate-chan?_ She asked. Her best friend was slightly taken aback. _I should be the one asking that. Why do you ask?_ She sent back to her, lifting her eyebrow. _You seem rather preoccupied and Shamal is not paying much attention to the discussion either,_ she pointed out, shrugging imperceptibly. _I wanted to ask her something_, replied her brunette friend evasively. _Do we, lesser beings, have a right to know?_ She wondered teasingly. Hayate smiled at the tease, about to respond when a sound came from her neck, her device shimmering and blinking at the same time to notify its master of an incoming message. Everyone stopped talking at once. The young Lieutenant-Colonel excused herself and left the table to get the message.

She didn't come back for a long time, leaving Nanoha to wonder what was going on this time. When she did enter the room again her best friend seemed shaken and when she sat, the table quietened again.

"Master Hayate?" Prompted Signum, attentively surveying her features.

The brunette sent a hesitant look toward Vivio, which made her straighten on her chair in alert. Something was obviously wrong.

"Nothing to worry about, I just received some… strange news," declared Hayate, smiling apologetically at them all.

"Does it concern the criminal organization?" Lindy made a guess, making the young brunette squirm in her chair.

"Well…" Hayate trailed off, ill at ease all of a sudden. She sent a glance to Shamal. "In a sense."

She was undoubtedly preoccupied by something but avoiding clear answers, what was even more worrying was that she was actually squirming. She practically never did that unless she was particularly unsettled and Nanoha knew it, just like her knights.

"Then what is it?" Pressed Lindy, not comprehending her reaction.

"The investigators found something, they think the next attack will be in two days," Hayate finally answered.

Well, it was some bad news, true, but to make her so unsettled? She was not buying it and seeing Vita's face Nanoha knew right away that the fiery knight was not either.

"Did they tell you where?" Asked the Admiral.

"No, just when," sighed Hayate, sagging on her chair and massaging her temple.

Way to be even more suspicious told herself Nanoha, frowning. Something was clearly not adding up but now was not the time to interrogate her best friend. It was the end of diner anyway so after that disturbance they left the dining table, Lindy and Arf taking their leave only half an hour after.

Now that the guests of the night were gone Vita rounded on Hayate, not caring much for her own presence or Vivio's, marching to her and pointing an accusing finger at her. It was funny to see the Lieutenant-Colonel take a step back in slight fright and a smile fought to break lose on lips but she contained it.

"You were lying, why?" She outright said, annoyed.

"Vita," Warned Signum, reminding her of who was their mistress.

"But…"

"Stop it," firmly said the leader of the knights, shaking her head in disapproval.

There was a blank, Vita scowling in annoyance because she was probably worried for her mistress but Signum didn't bulge, stern as a stone, and Shamal was raising curious eyebrows while gazing at the brunette. Vivio was a bit slumped against her side and she bent down to pick her up. The poor thing was already half sleeping in her arms. Deciding that she could at least save her best friend as a thank you for the sleepover, she cleared her throat softly. They all turned toward her and she smiled, a bit embarrassed.

"Could you tell me where is our room?" She demanded calmly, Hayate sending her a grateful nod for the intervention.

After all, she had faith in her best friend, whatever she had learned tonight, if she had decided to keep it for herself, she probably had a very good reason to.

"Of course!" Exclaimed the brunette, eagerly putting some space between her and the short-tempered knight.

They both went upstairs, the owner of the house picking up their bag on her way to the stairs. She was rapidly presented with a spare bedroom complete with a private bathroom and she was eternally grateful for her best friend's thoughtfulness. Lying the little blonde on the bed she took off her shoes and went on the other side to open the covers, figuring that for tonight she will let her sleep in her clothes. She didn't want to risk waking her up when they were in a foreign house because Vivio could have a hard time falling asleep again. Picking her up once more she tucked her in the bed, giving her forehead a soft kiss. She was surprised to discover Hayate still standing at the door when she turned away to go downstairs and bid her goodnight. Something was tormenting her best friend, she could tell. Going to her they both stepped out of the bedroom and she closed the door behind her to be able to speak freely.

"What is it, Hayate-chan?" Maybe she would be willing to talk with her if they were alone.

"Do you trust me, Nanoha-chan?" The question was hesitant and it floored her a little.

It was not what she was expecting so she didn't reply immediately, taking some time to study her instead. The Lieutenant-Colonel was stressed, and a bit distressed too. It was so not frequent that she found herself gingerly taking her hand and squeezing it supportively, a simple, reassuring smile burgeoning on her lips.

"Yes, I totally trust you," she answered, thinking every last word of her answer, pouring all her certainty in her tone.

"Thank you," sighed Hayate, tugging on her hand to hug her lightly. "It means a lot to me," she added when they parted, some odd relief in her voice.

"Of course, I trust you, Hayate-chan. Why would you doubt that?" She wondered out loud, giving her a quizzical look

"It's nothing I just… needed to hear it, I guess," said the Lieutenant-Colonel, a strange expression on her face.

She didn't understand what just happened here but she decided to not question it because it was the truth, she trusted Hayate enough to not bother her with her curiosity. Little did she know it would bite her in the ass a few weeks later. The streets were dark outside, she was exhausted and decided to call it a night, demanding her best friend to say goodnight to her knights in her behalf. When they parted ways, her thoughts lingered on the insecurity displayed by the brunette just now but as she reentered the bedroom to strip her clothes, she forgot all about it for several days. She just put on her night gown and slipped into the bed beside Vivio, falling asleep in record time.

* * *

To be continued... Feel free to let me know what you think, it's always nice to hear from you guys. Till next time!


	8. Visit of the Damned

Hi dear readers! Here is the next installment and we have a quick look at the OC. Have fun reading it!

**Grace**: Hi again. Hmm, for Lindy and Nanoha, in the previous chapter the tension between them was not resolved, Nanoha stumbled on her during her visit and since there was Vivio with her she couldn't run away. She was a bit cornered. And they didn't talk anyway, not resolving anything. I would imagine that in a situation like this (Fate in such a bad shape), Nanoha would be a wreck. Thank you for your comment!

**Nara375**: Hello. I will answer what I can based on what I understand of your review, pardon me if I make any mistake while doing so. Fate-chan will be a bit shaken in this story, obviously. For the trust bit, you'll see. The Reinforce lookalike character's story will be revealed later, for now, I have to tend to Fate. So to speak. In my opinion Precia is dead after the first season, so no, no Precia or Alicia for that matter. The nanofate relationship is rather difficult yes, they are together but aren't at the same time, it's what I like in the anime. It's so annoyingly funny to see them dance around each other that I can't help it. I'll make them dance. For me they just don't understand their feelings, especially Fate who's still quite an innocent character. Thank you!

** Mosless1**: (sorry for the spelling but the website refuse to keep your name spelled right for whatever reason) Hi! Yes, i understand the need for some nanofate, believe me. But alas, Fate still need to wake up for that to happen. Give it some time, it wont take too long. Thank you for the review!

**The anonymous**: Hi! Here it is! Thank you and enjoy!

**Sun2**: Hello! Nothing bad... we'll see. I cannot say much more than that. Thank you anyway.

As always, have a nice read and a nice day, night, whatever suits you best!

* * *

_**Two of Diamond**_

8\. Visit of the Damned

* * *

Flicking away a strand of silver hair, she sighed again.

She was under the veil of her Phantom mode, staying at the back of the crowded room while the shadow of the doctor woman was contemplating the possibility of taking the Echo out of Fate's body. What were they thinking? She should have talked with the brunette to explain why it was such a bad idea but said woman had explicitly asked for her to never bother her again. What was this blonde doctor thinking anyway? That she could comprehend the ancient artifact by poking it with a bolt of energy? Or were they just that stupid? She knew that of all of them, the Lieutenant-Colonel and probably the doctor were the only ones knowing an Echo was now in Fate's chest but still. The silence was thick in the clinic room and it was that much more disturbing when you considered all the persons standing in it. But the dark figure of the doctor was bent over Fate and seemed ready to try something, probably on the Echo device. This was no good. When she saw the tool in the woman's hand, she cursed under her breath, knowing full well that this would do far more damage than good. She had to intervene and, in her situation, it felt like a suicide mission…

She had to go with it thought, Fate was mostly healed and she had accepted the Echo, doing anything now could kill her in the long run. And she will not permit that.

"Don't."

The ones nearer to her jumped right out of their skins when they heard the low warning, all the persons present turning toward her as she let go of her Phantom mode. She was focusing on the doctor ready to test her theory, looking at her with enough intensity to prevent her for doing anything. At least for now.

"You!"

The shoot was coming from the woman standing close to the bed, her hand reaching for the red orb on her neck while the pink haired woman reached for her device, the shorter one doing exactly the same thing with an enraged expression on her face. She was an intruder and an enemy so she kind of expected those reactions. She knew it was a bad idea to show herself but losing Fate would be far worse so she chose to take a wild bet.

"Eins?"

It was the brunette, still giving her that name or calling her Reinforce every time she could see her, be it in person or on a screen. It was an instinctive reaction on her part, the intruder just knew it, but it was saddening to see the turmoil, the hope and the disillusion mixing up in her eyes. The brunette caught in the past, who was also the Lieutenant-Colonel of the bunch, made a move toward her but the short, fiery woman stepped before her, blocking her path and scowling at the intruder with a load of hatred.

"You know she is not, Hayate! It is not Reinforce!" She growled, her barrier jacket materializing, hammer in hand.

It was a really bad bet but what other choice did she have?

"Why did you say don't?" Interrupted the green clad doctor, still posed above Fate but now clearly hesitating.

"You're the one who almost killed her," realized with a start the man on the left, anger rolling off of him in waves.

Everyone tensed in the room, herself included as she shifted her gaze from one to another, trying to predict who will hit her first. She was doomed, in more ways than one but she could understand their reaction. Hell, if the roles were reversed, she would have killed herself already, just to make sure she wouldn't harm her any more than she already did. Pink light erupted near the bed and before any of them could react she was face to face with four balls of energy. Looking to the opposite side of the room, she caught the furious glare of the side pony haired woman and, in what could be considered the worst timing ever, she told herself that she owed her so she surrendered to her wrath. She had decided that she would not protect herself. In that one second before the attack, she saw a flicker of hesitation in the stormy blue eyes but the projectiles launched anyway. Right shoulder, stomach, heart and plexus. It was a full blast since she didn't want to block them, she deserved it and this auburn woman needed to take out her pain on someone. The one responsible for it was the best choice for that.

"Nanoha!" The brunette shouted.

The impact was harder than she had anticipated, particularly in the plexus which hurt like hell, sending all her nerves in a frenzy. She grunted as her back hit the wall behind her and she could feel the Echo reacting, the relic burning. Silver arcs of energy crackled around her, zapping her cruelly and denting the wall as she tried to suppress a pained whimper. It left her lips as she knelt on the ground, searching her breath and curbing the silver energy in a panic. If this thing went off now, the whole room would be scorched. Not paying attention to any of the occupants of the room, she shut her eyes and concentrated, bringing it back under her control.

Once she was done, she opened her eyes but before she could regain her bearings, she saw something coming at her fast and this time, she was taken completely off-guard so there was no way for her to protect herself or sidestep it. It caught her right in the stomach and made her hit the wall behind her with so much force it actually cracked, menacing to crumble down on her. But the wall was the least of her worries, the blow was actually an iron hammer and it probably made some serious damage in her body. Blinking, she saw stars as a cough hindered her breath, the taste of blood invading her mouth. Damn that short woman, she had some punch. The wisps were out again, the hammer left her stomach, and she had to regain control once again, closing her eyes to forcefully banish them.

Her ragged breathing was all she could hear for now. She knew she was totally vulnerable to any other attack they could throw her way but she was too focused on the silver crackling around her to care. Bending a little, she let herself fell from the wall and she kneeled on the floor. Because of her head hitting the wall so hard, her ears were ringing but she heard the cries and shouts, the confusion in them, and lifted her gaze to see what was going on. The brunette was standing before her, preventing any other attack against her and she looked at her back in surprise.

"No need to do that, I deserved it I guess," she whispered in resignation, not sure if any one heard her or not, blood dripping from her chin.

Willing herself to stand again she failed miserably, her knees hitting the tiled floor and she made an effort not to whimper in pain, keeping a carefully neutral expression on her face. For a second, she caught the sky-blue eyes of the woman in the blue and white barrier jacket observing her, a load of contradictive emotions in them. She knew her name but said nothing, averting her gaze in surrender to her anger. She was taking too much risks and was bound to die in the long run, she knew it but if she had to die to ensure he would not survive, so be it. In fact, she knew all of their names but they didn't need to know that just yet.

"Hayate! Get out of the way!" Seethed the short woman, her hammer ready for a charged attack this time.

"No." Immediately said the brunette, not moving, the authority in her voice quite strong.

"Master Hayate, why protect her?" Asked the pink haired woman, a dubious frown on her face, her hand resting on her device in hesitation.

"What do you want? Why are you here? Did you come to finish the job?" Asked her the dark-haired boy, his eyes sending daggers to her, his fist trembling in unabashed fury.

The last part actually made her flinch more visibly than she would have preferred. She tried to stand but she was still a little lightheaded, her plexus was burning so much it was glowing faintly. Thankfully, she was the only one knowing this. Now that she was in this predicament, she was half tempted to leave them and don't give a damn anymore but she knew it was impossible. The plan was set and the pawns were all in position. She had to twist the rules or she would die before the real game even started. She had to choose between the plague and the cholera. What a comforting choice to have. And she won't let the enforcer die. Not ever.

"I have faith in her," admitted the young Lieutenant-Colonel, her voice firm.

"What?" Shouted the man, the one with dark hair, looking at her in obvious shock.

All of the occupants of the room seemed indignant at the very concept she just exposed to them and if she had to be honest with herself, she was too. This woman had faith in someone who came really close to kill five of them. Granted, she wasn't the one who really did it but still. It was more than unexpected. Why was she even bothering with her? Was it in behalf of that Reinforce or because she was the one to give her the Echo? All of this was confusing her now.

"I know it sounds completely unreasonable but… I have faith in her," elaborated the brunette, throwing a glance in her direction.

She frowned a bit at the words. Gritting her teeth, the silver haired woman raised to her feet again, the taste of her own blood in her mouth sickening her, and as she took a second to look in the eyes of the woman defending her, she felt a phantom beat in her chest. How very unexpected indeed. There was so much conflict in those blue eyes, it was astounding. When she found it was too much to sustain this gaze, she diverted her own toward the doctor. She had to bear in mind that her time was limited. Pariete was recreating her leash slowly and she had to be out of here before it was active again or she would be punished and he would make sure others would pay for her stupidity as well. She had found a way to escape from him but it was dangerous, no matter what she was doing, he would always find her in the end and take great pleasure in tormenting her. What a crazy master she had.

"Don't do that," she finally answered the blonde doctor, shifting on her feet and bringing a hand above her stomach. The pain had not receded yet. "If you do, she will die."

They all tensed up and in retrospect, she had to admit that she was playing with fire to deliver this kind of information in such a manner.

"Is that a threat?" Spat the short woman, the hammer shaking in her hands while the brunette was searching her eyes in doubt.

"No, not a threat," she replied, cautiously glancing at the hammer before staring directly at its owner. "I may be a fool for being here, but I wouldn't threat anyone while being outnumbered."

The red headed short woman scoffed at that, muttering something too low for anyone to hear and the brunette fully turned towards her then, seeking answers.

"Why shouldn't we do that?" She asked, her blue eyes searching her own red ones in earnest.

"You shouldn't trifle with it," she warned them. "Don't mess it up and she should be fine," she explained further, talking too much already.

"What are you talking about?" Suddenly asked the blonde boy in the back, actually asking the only pertinent question.

But that was it. No more answers for them because her time was up. The whistling in her left ear had begun and a soft light was glowing on it. She brought her hand to it, the fright invading every fiber of her consciousness probably showing on her face because they stared at her like she was some crazy loon. And maybe she really was to go against her master's wishes. Although the brunette was a bit more concerned that the others and it was so disturbing that she frowned again. Pariete was about to finish her leash and she needed to be out of here before anything could go wrong so she moved back. The Lieutenant-Colonel knew what she was about to do since she had witnessed it once and she took a step forward.

"Don't…"

She could not stay so with an apologetic look she tilted her head a bit and she leaned against the cracked wall behind her, allowing her body to relax while she did, ignoring the plea.

"Aggeris."

"_**Yes, my Lord. Phantom mode, set up**_."

They tensed once more at her device's voice but they couldn't do anything about it because for all intent and purpose, she disappeared from their sights. She was going back to the grayish world she knew all too well since it had become her personal sanctuary, all of their figures blurring slightly as she stepped out of the room. Here she would have some reprieve but only for a couple of hours at the most, her master would snatch her as soon as she will leave this haven. And as it was, she needed some time to prepare herself in order to face what was to come. Her master was always going nuts when she was taking the liberty to break his leash and she will have to suffer his wrath one more time. He would wait for her at home.

It was okay though, now that she found the only flaw in his grip, she was willing to take the risk, the blonde enforcer was worth it.

In the end, it all came down to Fate, master or not.

* * *

Hayate had seen it coming, watching as the woman disappeared before their eyes and she let out a heavy sigh, unable to quell the concern steadily growing in herself. As she had said, it was unreasonable and probably foolish, but how can you prevent a feeling from growing? If it was possible, she didn't know how to do it. _"If it kills her, I'll kill myself,"_ the words were still in her mind, the seriousness in them still throwing her off. If anyone was to poke the Echo and if in turn it killed Fate-chan… would the woman really kill herself?

"Hayate…"

And now she had to face the others and let them confront her on the matter since there was no way for them to understand why she had faith in this woman. Not when she was the one keeping them in the dark. Turning around she assessed their expressions and stances, flinching a bit when she saw the betrayed look Nanoha was giving her or the defiant frown Vita was aiming her way. Even Chrono, who was known for his patience and lack of real anger in most situation, was staring at her with a tinge of anger and some betrayal as well. How she hated that look directed at her!

"Would you care to explain what just happened?" Quietly requested the rigid Admiral, clearly not letting this go.

"Well," she was instantly cut off by Vita who was riled but worried too, now that the immediate danger was gone.

"Tell us the truth this time," reminded her the short knight, making her flinch yet again.

"Vita," lowly warned Signum, throwing a glance at the short woman before looking at her once more. "You knew she would leave at that moment," pointed out the observant pink haired knight, her tone neutral.

"Yes," admitted the Lieutenant-Colonel, going for the truth.

"You encountered her before today?" Went on the leader of the Wolkenritten, the frown on her face telling her that she was not happy with this information.

Looking elsewhere, she simply nodded.

"Why!?" Shouted Vita, aghast and frightened at the very thought.

"She came to me on two occasions under that… veil of hers, asking for a meeting between us," she explained, crossing her arms on her chest in a blatant show of uneasiness. "She was insistent and annoying so I decided to have that meeting and be done with her but at the time, I had no idea who she was." The words were falling from her mouth more easily than she had anticipated, her eyes went to Nanoha, needing her to understand what she was saying. "I really didn't know."

It was hard to tell them that, to let them know how foolish she was and what a complete idiotic move she made at the time. Her knights were so not happy to hear that she had endangered herself with no care in the world that Signum frowned and gritted her teeth to stop her own words. Vita was angry, yes, but concerned too and Shamal was looking at her with a lot of confusion and some slowly blossoming realization too, which was worrying her. No one said anything for some time, Chrono staring at her in complete astonishment while Yuuno was keeping to himself, neutral but curious. Nanoha was staring at her, her face perfectly blank. She had to gather her thoughts or she would make an even bigger fool of herself.

"You have to understand that I didn't know at first who she was and that this stranger was friendly enough, if you left out the creepy part," she shrugged, not her most convincing argument but it was still the truth.

"She could have killed you!" Shouted Vita in pure indignation, appalled by her lack of prudence.

"I know that, Vita-chan, and I knew it then, but she didn't," she was searching for the right words but she doubted there was any in this situation. "She had a dozen occasions to kill me but she didn't. She…" Trailing off, she decided to keep to herself the bottle of water moment, it would only confuse them as it was confusing her.

She also decided to keep to herself some other things. The silver haired woman clearly said to her that she was not their enemy but saying that to them now would only anger them more. She also clearly remembered the clear concern for Fate-chan. True, it was weird, but it was there nonetheless.

"What did she want from you?" Suddenly asked Nanoha, her voice tight and deceptively calm.

She looked at her, catching her eyes, trying to convey in that moment all the sincerity she could muster. Her best friend was rigid and tensed a bit more at the look she was giving her but she insisted, needing to make her understand that she did what felt right to her. What needed to be done, in more ways than one.

"She wanted to help," she let out before she could stop herself, cringing at the scoffs and other mocking sounds erupting in the room.

Only Shamal and Yuuno were silent, listening attentively and watching her carefully. She knew just then that the blonde was restraining herself, the question burning in her eyes scorching her a little. It was only natural for her to wonder at this point but she sent her a stalling look, silently asking her to wait. No one knew for the Echo, it was still a secret between the two of them but things were getting out of her control and some doctors were suspicious by now. Everyone was happy and relieved but Fate's spectacular recovery was by far the most illogical thing to occur so a lot of people were suspecting Shamal, thinking that the blonde doctor had done something to the blonde enforcer. It was very true but it was Hayate's decision. That, they still didn't know.

"What was she talking about?" Nanoha asked then, sending a worried look toward their blonde best friend before pining her again with her sky-blue eyes.

She was trapped. If she told them what she had done to save her best friend they could turn against her. Even if the little device had healed the blonde like promised, she still took an appalling risk in doing what she had done. Considering that she had done it on her own, hiding the truth from all of them, she just knew they could resent her. Rightfully so. But if she kept it a secret at this very moment, when Vita specifically asked for the truth, she could lose their trust entirely. She couldn't bear that. _Tell them,_ suddenly advised Shamal, a small smile of encouragement flitting on her face. _They will understand, and I'll be right beside you,_ reassured her the knight of the Lac, her caring tone washing over her. Tears welled up in her eyes and she ducked her head to hide them, closing her eyes.

"I…" Her voice cracked, she felt her whole frame shaking a little when all the pent-up guilt and anxiety caught up with her, leaving her weak and worn out.

She needed to sit down or she would faint so she just let herself fall to the tiled floor, sitting rather brutally on it.

"Master Hayate!" Now more worried than anything else, Signum came to her, kneeling at her side while the tears she was so desperately trying to conceal started falling on her cheeks.

"Hayate-chan?" Whispered Nanoha, concern overriding her previous anger.

She curled on herself and pressed her knees to her chest, encircling them and hiding her face from them. Never before she had reacted in such a way in front of any of them, breaking down so completely but she was reaching her extreme limit. The severe lack of sleep for weeks, the constant headaches, the self-reproaching, the hiding and lying, and the overall taxing decisions she had to make to ensure Fate's survival were all too much. Really too much. _Hayate-chan?_ Nanoha was really concerned for her and it broke her that much more. _Talk to us,_ worriedly demanded her best friend, a hand resting on her left shoulder. Signum was at her right so she opened her eyes, discovering her auburn-haired friend kneeling in front of her, anger forgotten.

"We were losing her," Shamal finally dropped the bomb, coming closer to her mistress. "I was healing her to the best of my abilities, mending, restoring, sealing, bringing oxygen and support to her lungs and heart."

Her admission made the general attention go to her in surprise and cold fear. Somehow, she could see the blood leaving Nanoha's face at that hidden truth.

"But it was not enough. Her recovery was not fast enough, her vitals were weakening at random and in the off chance that she would wake up again, the medical staff was worried about her brain and the damage the lack of oxygen could have done to it," revealed the blonde doctor, encouraging her to explain the rest herself with a supportive expression.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she looked to the floor while the others were still digesting the hidden truth.

"I was keeping tabs on her progress," started the Lieutenant-Colonel. "And I knew that the odds were against us." She stated. "When that unknown woman came to me, swearing she wanted to help, I… I was wary of course but if she was saying the truth, then maybe…" She trailed off, throwing a glance at Vita. "I knew it could be a ploy, I knew she could have killed me with ease but if there was a chance to save Fate-chan…" Her voice broke again and she shut up for a while.

"Hayate," whispered Vita, sorry for her previous harshness.

"So, we met in my office," went on the Lieutenant-Colonel, the ill feelings leaving her progressively as she delivered the truth to them. "I was shocked to see her, she does remind me so much of Reinforce," she muttered, frowning at her exasperating reaction to the woman. "But then all the anguish, all the hatred and the anger exploded in me and I lashed out at her, slapping her, screaming at her."

Lifting her head up, she stared at her best friend. She had to see the truth in her eyes too.

"I was so angry but… her eyes, they floored me," she explained, remembering the sight. "There was a ton of pain in them and she…" Trailing off, she let out a worn-out sigh.

"What, Hayate-chan? What did she do?" Urged her on a worried Nanoha.

"She was concerned for her, sincerely concerned I mean," said Hayate, sending a glance toward the blonde enforcer.

No one commented on that, all of them having mixed feelings about this information.

"She then took something in her hand, telling me it could save her, and she left it on the table," she went on.

"The Echo?" Whispered Yuuno and Shamal at the same time, connecting the dots while the others were now at a loss.

"Yes," she confirmed to Shamal. "She said it was a very rare and very precious artifact, that she was giving it to me. At the time I had no faith in her, I asked her where was the catch but she said there was none. I still didn't believe her though. Then she said that it was up to me to decide to use it or not."

"Hayate," muttered Vita, taking a step toward her. "She's an enemy, a powerful mage and warranted in all administrated worlds," she reminded her.

"I know," she replied right away, frowning a bit at the useless reminder. "But then, I told her in all seriousness that if this thing killed Fate-chan, I would kill her myself because I think I could," she related, planting her eyes in Nanoha's to make sure she would be thrown off like she had been at her next words. "Just before leaving, she said that if the Echo killed her, she'd kill herself."

She saw the surprise in her best friend's eyes and she saw a tinge of uncertainty too, defiance still stronger than anything. The others were silent, their reaction one of confusion.

"I waited a week to take a decision," she said, wanting them to see that she did take the time to think this through. "Fate-chan was not progressing sufficiently enough and you," she smiled sadly to Nanoha, lifting a hand to put it on the one still resting on her left shoulder. "You were closing off and I wanted to help you but I didn't know how," she admitted, squeezing her hand while her best friend lifted her eyebrows at her. "I had Shamal implant the Echo in her."

"You're crazy," muttered Vita, stunned by the decision and the turmoil her mistress went through all by herself.

"I am not ready to lose any of you!" She retorted with some bite, her face hardening. "Especially not when I was the one sending you on those missions!" She added more quietly, guilt flickering on her face unable to hide the hurt lacing her words.

The knight shut up after that, diverting her gaze from her miffed mistress and Hayate slowly released the breath she was holding off to help calm herself down. Signum was rubbing her back by now and she felt Nanoha's hand clutching her shoulder a bit tighter.

"I broke a number of rules and I will have to answer for it sooner or later but the Echo… it did what she told me it would do," she went on, looking up at Shamal.

"Yes, the recovery is quite spectacular," she nodded, confirming her words.

"I took a decision I had no right to make," Hayate said, sending an apologetic glance at Chrono, the Admiral being very quiet since she started to speak the truth. "But I will take the entire responsibility for it and if anything was to go wrong, I'll take responsibility for it too."

"If the higher ups were to learn about this," he started, not finishing his thought, shaking his head in astonishment at what she had done.

"Yes, I will have some explaining to do and have some problems as well," she nodded, fully aware of this not so pleasant outcome. "I didn't want to take the decision out of your hands or Lindy's hands, Chrono-kun, but would you have done it? Disregarding the rules? Disregarding the danger?"

He froze, thinking hard on the subject while keeping his stare on her, the cogs turning fast in his head. She knew they wouldn't have. Nor Chrono nor Lindy would have taken the chance when there was a high possibility of endangering the blonde enforcer further, even if there was a possibility for them to save her at the same time. They were cautious first after all.

"You're right, we wouldn't have," he said with a frown, glancing at his healing sister as he mulled this terrible revelation over in his head.

"Why didn't you talk to me?" Nanoha asked her then, catching her attention.

"You were already wrestling with your own turmoil," she flat out said, giving her a knowing, soft smile.

The air instructor didn't deny it and she didn't say otherwise, sighing in defeat. They both knew that Nanoha had not been herself these past few months.

"I was worried you would blast me into oblivion if you were to learn that she was the one giving it to me," she added, half joking but wary nonetheless.

Her best friend did frown at that, harshly, but she didn't say anything else and just turned around to glance at the blonde enforcer breathing peacefully. The wires and needles, the machinery and other medical support stuff were all gone, leaving only an IV on the blonde's arm. Some color had returned to her face and for days now Shamal had been ecstatic, marveling about the recovery and how the enforcer could return to them in a week or two.

"It still doesn't make much sense to me," intervened Signum beside her, her own eyes trained on the blonde enforcer too. "Why would she save what she destroyed in the first place?"

Her choice of words was a bit harsh and Nanoha stiffened again, which in turn attracted her knight's attention toward the air instructor. The expression on Signum's face placated whatever was going on in her best friend's mind though, since the auburn-haired woman relaxed as suddenly.

"She actually brushed on that too when we met," she answered, the words still going in circles in her head. "She clearly stated that she was not our enemy but that she couldn't go against her master's wishes."

They did pause at that, clearly taken aback.

"The thread thing?" Wondered Chrono, reminding all of them what happened that day.

"Exactly," she concurred. "I know what she did is unforgivable, and I have no intention of forgiving any of what she's done but… She helped in the end and…" She trailed off hesitantly, not sure if she should share her thoughts with them.

"What?" Suspiciously asked Nanoha, curiously searching her face. "What now?"

"I don't really know how to say that but, we all did mistakes at one point. Fate-chan, myself, my knights, we all acted rashly in the past. Fate-chan too had a mistress once," she didn't say anything more when she saw the look of anger flashing on her best friend's face.

She was half expecting a long tirade from the air instructor but it never came, Nanoha obviously considering what she just said in silent aggravation. It was a bit much to say it, she knew she was making a parallel that was fairly not equitable but the reasoning behind it was valid enough for her.

"If she was our enemy, she could have killed me or come in this very room at any time and kill her, without any of us even knowing." She clearly stated to make them see why she was thinking like this, the woman could go pretty much wherever she wanted after all.

No one said anything more, then the short-tempered knight scoffed.

"Or this thing is a ploy to get to all of us and blow the entire facility," mumbled Vita, still not buying the good for free act.

Hayate sent her a hurt look, knowing full well that it could all blow up in her face and terminate her career for good but why make the effort and create the detour? Why didn't she kill the five of them that day and be done with it? Why didn't she kill her in her office? So, she asked all of this to her. The knight of the hammer relented under her gaze, diverting her eyes in helpless exasperation since she didn't know the answers to her questions.

"There is something else," finally spoke Hayate again, letting the knight brood on her own as she turned to Chrono. "Do you remember that attack on Vaizen? The one that we could stop for once."

"Yes, quite well," he said, wondering where she was going with that. "You were the one anticipating it and assembling a defense."

"I did not anticipate anything, I received a message on my device," she admitted.

"The night I came over?" Instantly reacted Nanoha, as sharp as a shark on that one.

"Yes, it was anonymous," she specified, throwing a glance at her best friend and then looking back in Chrono's direction, catching his eyes.

He understood quite quickly where she was going and he lifted an eyebrow in evident disbelief. "You think it's her?"

"I do think so, yes," she confirmed, nodding slightly for good measure.

"A lot of lives have been saved that day, that would change certain things," he muttered to himself, already thinking of the possible implications. He then straightened his posture and wore a serious face. "You did what you did to save her, and as far as we know, it is working so I'm not going to blame you for it. I don't approve of the risks you took or the rules you broke but be assured that I understand the why. If everything turns out fine, I will support and defend you."

It was a lot more than she expected from him and she felt her heart swell in her chest, elated to hear this.

"But," he added after a minute, looking everyone in the eyes before settling is stare on her again. "If everything goes wrong, I won't be able to do much and you'll be on your own."

"I know," she acknowledged, finding it hard to not smile in relief. "Thank you, Chrono-kun."

"Also," he added while staring at the blonde enforcer. "Let me inform my mother and Arf myself, I think it could be best," he sighed, giving her a meaningful look.

"I…" She hadn't thought of them to be honest and now that she was reminded of the two very close to Fate females, she had to admit that she was glad for the offer. "Please and thank you."

He nodded, smiling a bit at the apprehension on her face then he excused himself and left the room. Some of the dread weighing on her shoulders for weeks had lifted now that she let it all out and she took a big intake of air, closing her eyes to revel in the new found lightness she felt.

"So, I don't get to test my theory I guess," lamented Shamal, putting her tool away with a tinge of regret. "Her recovery is already astounding, poking around can wait," she tried to console herself.

"I would prefer you not poking anything before we learn more about the Echo," confirmed Hayate, smiling at the silly comment.

"Are you better now?" Asked Nanoha, leaning in to give her a quick hug.

"Yes, much better," she answered as they both stood up, facing each other with little smiles on their faces.

Thank all that was holy, they were still friends apparently and Hayate was more than grateful for that. Losing Nanoha's friendship would have been too hard on herself, especially in times like this.

"Good, because I have to blast you now," softly threatened the air instructor, flashing her a sweet smile in the middle of her dead serious face.

It was sort of frightening and she felt herself hunch away in slight fear, raising her hands in a placating gesture as the others were all looking at the White Devil in hesitation, tensing a bit, not sure if she was joking or not. Silence was deafening.

"I was teasing you but don't do something like that ever again or I might just change my mind," finally said Nanoha, allowing them to relax and breathe a sigh of relief as she gave her a pointed look.

"I won't, you have my word," she smiled hesitantly, a bit ruffled by the threat.

"Good, I wouldn't want to blast my best friend," the auburn-haired woman smiled, her face softening completely.

It was so good to hear her say that that the Lieutenant-Colonel threw caution to the wind and jumped on her, giving her a bear hug, which earned her a soft laugh while the auburn-haired woman was returning it right away.

"Do you still trust me?" She couldn't help but ask in a meek voice.

"I never ceased to trust you," answered Nanoha as she squeezed her a little bit more. "But Hayate-chan," she added, separating from her in order to look at her, seriousness coming back to her sky-blue eyes. "Do not endanger yourself from now on, please. I can't go through another fright, Fate-chan was more than enough in that department."

She could only agree with that. "I won't," she promised.

When they all parted ways, Hayate was so relieved that she came to the conclusion that whatever was to come of her rash decision, she was okay with it. Fate-chan was recovering, Nanoha-chan was still her best friend and the Wolkenritten was not chewing her out for her lack of self-preservation even if they were sending her displeased looks every now and often. All things considered, she could lose her job and still be happy. Well, mostly.

* * *

To be continued... Well, at least Hayate have explained herself. What do you think?


	9. Damage and Control

Hi there! Been a bit too busy lately and life is a bit too hectic but fear not, I won't leave you hanging. In this new chapter things are moving!

**Grace:** Hello Grace. What you wish for is coming to you on a silver platter. Am I nice or not? Lol. Thank you for you continued interest and your reviews. I hope you will like this one. Take care.

**Sun2:** Hi Sun. So yeah, the great moment is coming fast it would seem, I can't have Fate-chan sleeping through all the story now, can I? That would be a shame. Plus, we all need some NanoFate goodness in the future. You have an insight of what the woman does to help here, a big insight. Do not worry, I won't burn out. Life on the other hand is burning me a little but we all have our share of trouble so I won't complain. Thank you for the review, I really appreciate it. Take care too.

**Nara375:** Hello Nara. Like I said before, I like the ambivalent relationship between the two main characters because it's driving us all crazy haha but I will clarify their relationship at some point yes, I don't want to keep it in this irritating statu quo. It will take some time though, I don't like the "suddenly I'm madly in love with you" thing happening in some fanfic. It is fun to read but not believable in my opinion, too sudden. As for the Reinforce lookalike feelings towards Fate, it's rather complicated and I cannot say too much. You will have to see for yourself. As for Hayate and Rein, well, there is something too. You'll see. And yes, Hayate needed to let it out at some point, she did take a huge risk. Thank you for your support, Nara. Hope you'll like this one. Take care.

**The anonymous:** Hi! Yes, sir! Or ma'am? Anyway, here it is. I know how this craving feels, believe me so please go ahead and read. Don't hesitate to tell me what you think about it. Take care.

And as always, have a nice read and a nice day, dear readers!

* * *

_**Two of Diamond**_

9\. Damage and Control

* * *

To say she was pissed off was bordering on sarcasm. Not only did she take a big risk to stop their stupidity but they didn't listen to her at all, making her punishment totally worthless. Slowly breathing in and out, she tried to reign in her anger, to not let it control her cause that would be a very bad day then. If she wanted the blonde to survive this ordeal and spare her friends, she had to act again, and quickly. She was so… gah! She had no words for what she was feeling but it was pretty messy.

Standing on the higher building of the TSAB Headquarters, she studied the agents, enforcers, recruits and whatever they were walking all around the place, minding their own business. She must be nuts.

"_**This is not wise, my Lord.**_"

"I know Aggeris," she sighed. "Believe me, I know."

"_**Ready when you are, my Lord.**_"

A small smile blossomed on her lips at that and she almost reached for her Device in a fond gesture but she relented, fearing that somehow, someone could see it.

She had just finished an important mission for her master, making him really happy about the outcome and giving him more intel to help prepare his next move. She had been quite rough with the librarian but none of his injuries were serious. She tried to go easy on his furry friend, knowing full well who she was, but the woman had put up a fight and she had to neutralize her in order to complete her mission. Even if it was nothing serious she was not too happy about that. After he went away presumably to read whatever book she had brought back to him, she had phased into her phantom world, going straight to the TSAB to see if they had listened to her. And then she had broken the damn transmitter in her ear yet again. When she appeared on the rooftop of this building, she estimated that she had approximately thirty minutes to get it done, after that it'll be too late.

What she was about to do was not without risk for her but also for Fate, and she will have to play her cards well if she didn't want to lose the enforcer. Her master despised the irksome pawn she had become to the bone, dreaming of killing her every night, but whether he liked it or not he needed her to achieve his goal. As for her, she needed the blonde. The man holding her leash knew all too well that she was kind of obsessed with the blonde enforcer but what he didn't know was that she was in fact ready to enter the game. She was ready to spring into action. She already did.

"Aggeris."

"_**Phantom mode, set up,**_" obeyed her device.

The phantom world was grey and eerily silent when no one was around but when people were within her range, their voices were amplified and she could hear loud and clear the faintest murmur. It was a pain when someone decided to scream but apart from that it could be very useful. She left the roof, jumping down to enter the building and stroll on the corridor, nearing the room she wanted to check. There was three women in it already and upon entering the room she recognized the voice of the Lieutenant-Colonel, of the blonde doctor and of the woman who blasted her five days ago. She grimaced, the pain still fresh in her mind. Her body was more or less healed but her memory was reviving it.

"I told them not to do anything of the sort but they wouldn't listen to me, one of them decided to see for himself," said the blonde doctor.

"Did you try to stop them?" wondered the Lieutenant-Colonel, slight anger shaking her voice.

"Yes, I tried, I even called for Nanoha-chan's help but it was too late," the doctor answered, a strain in her own voice.

Groaning inwardly, she was tempted to barge in there, kidnap the blonde and salvage the Echo before they could do anymore damage to it but she didn't. The last time she barged in there unannounced she had been hurt and she was not a masochist. Maybe she could make a diversion? Have the building evacuated and then kidnap the blonde to repair their stupidity… It could work but she already attacked this facility three days ago, it would not be wise at all for her to antagonize them any more. Standing in the room and listening, she decided to wait for the right time, hoping to find an opening sooner rather than later.

* * *

"You're telling me that her condition is caused by it?" Hayate clarified, a wave of guilt and self-loathing shaking her.

"Yes, she's healthy and has recovered completely but now that they poked it this Echo is slowly killing her," sadly confirmed Shamal as she went through the diagnostic once again, making sure that she didn't read it wrong.

Nanoha, who was sitting beside the bed, clenched her fist on the sheets but said nothing, keeping her thoughts to herself as she stubbornly watched over her blonde best friend. The young Lieutenant-Colonel knew that the auburn-haired woman was doing her best to not scream at her and she was grateful for that, it would make her break on the spot. She was the one who took the decision, the one who ordered it and now, she was the one who most regretted it. When they will learn about this new development, the Harlaowns will ask for some explanations from her and she was at a loss for words. How do you convince someone that you wanted to save their loved one when the very thing you did to achieve that turns out to be the worst thing you could do? Because she chose to believe in the woman who nearly killed said loved one? And that she is doomed now? How did the medics even get the chance to pock at it?

"It's a slow process," elaborated Shamal, oblivious to her master's distress because of the gravity of Fate's situation. "It will take a couple of weeks at the most and in the end, she will die. There is nothing we can do about it, we don't know this device well enough to do anything. If we were to tinker it again, we could kill her for good."

"I told all of you to listen to her!" Shot back the brunette, angry at herself for letting the medics do as they pleased with the unknown relic.

"Don't ask me to listen to someone who hurt her so badly, Hayate," suddenly spoke Nanoha, shooting a miffed glare at her, her voice eerily quiet.

The scolding look coupled with the drop of the honorific hurt her more than she cared to admit. Oh man, she was going to be sick with worry and guilt again. Her headache was getting worse, her stomach was knotted up and she felt a wave of nausea hit her rather hard. Did she kill her own best friend? Shaking at the onslaught of negative feelings coursing through her, she fell on the floor, her knees hitting it rather hard as she hid her face in her hands.

"Master!" Called Shamal, alarmed, as she rushed to kneel beside her.

The blonde doctor knew full well that her mistress was still battling with her guilt and own decisions, being mentally exhausted.

"I should have banned them from entering this room. Oh god, what did I do?" Cried the brunette, a tear escaping and spilling on her cheek.

"Sometimes you have to do the worst to get the better," said a new voice, making the three of them freeze. "And you can't take the blame in lieu of idiots."

Looking up from where she was, Hayate saw a livid Nanoha jumping on her feet, shock and hatred on her face at the sudden apparition as she placed herself between the woman and Fate's bed. She looked to her right and sure enough, the woman they were talking about just moments ago was standing there, glancing at the blonde's still frame with an indecipherable expression on her face. The same spike of hope and longing pierced her heart and the Lieutenant-Colonel gasped, bringing Shamal's attention on her. The doctor said nothing, understanding instantly the contradicting emotions in her head, draping her arm over her shoulders in support.

"I tried to warn you," reminded them the woman, her eyes solely concentrated on Nanoha.

"What good did it do?" Replied her auburn-haired friend, soft scorn in her tone.

"Well, none obviously," relented the intruder, shifting her eyes toward the blonde with a frown.

There was real concern in the red eyes, it was plain as day since the woman didn't seem to care enough to hide it and Hayate watched as Nanoha registered it too, throwing her for a loop. Hatred, confusion, doubt, resentment, defiance… hope, even a tinge of jealousy, that's all the emotions she could see passing on her face and the brunette felt her misery bloom again. If she hadn't done that, if she had not felt the strange faith in this woman's words based on the fact that she looked like Reinforce… But she did say to her she wanted to save her so maybe… Shamal clutched her right shoulder, giving her a soft, comprehensive look before turning her eyes to the strange woman again.

"I can still save her," informed them the tall woman, Hayate's eyes widening a little at that.

"How thoughtful, you almost kill her and then in her time of need you want to save her," replied Nanoha in a mock admirative tone. "How… convenient."

"You're the ones who made a mess this time," stated the woman. "Besides, if I wanted her dead, she'd be dead."

It was something neither of them could deny on both accounts and it got under her best friend's skin more effectively than anything else she could have said since Nanoha grabbed Raging Heart in an instant, her barrier jacket flowing around her.

"Where is the catch?" Asked the Air Instructor, as aggressive as before though a tiny spark of doubt flashed in her stormy eyes.

That's when Hayate decided to step in, comprehending that this two were inches away from tearing each other apart and that it just wouldn't do any good to any of them, especially not to their blonde best friend.

"Can you really?" Demanded the Lieutenant-Colonel, lifting an authoritative hand toward Nanoha to delay her outraged protest. "Nanoha-chan, please," she added when her friend was about to explode.

Her best friend relented at the soft plea, staring back at the silver haired woman in pure defiance. With what happened three days ago, it was to be expected. She herself didn't know what to think of the woman anymore. Yuuno and Arf were not seriously injured but… The attack took everyone by surprise.

"Yes," nodded the woman, her dangerous red eyes capturing her own. "But I can only do it once and I don't know if I'll be able to come back any time soon."

Did she come only for this? Did she know something was wrong with Fate-chan? Or was it a suspicious coincidence? This woman was a complete mystery.

"Then do it," ordered Hayate, her commanding tone making the silver haired woman recoil a bit.

"I have no orders to take from you, Lieutenant-Colonel," warned her the taller woman, one of her eyebrows lifting a little.

Her rank coming from that woman sounded off somehow but she didn't know if it was because of the amused tone or the deadpan expression she was sporting. To her embarrassment, Hayate felt the warmth spreading on her cheeks and knew then that she was blushing, Nanoha probably burning an indignant hole on the side of her head.

"I can't do it here, I need space," pointed out the woman, bringing them back on track. "And if anyone see me, they'll try to kill me," she added, sending a cautious look at Nanoha and Raging Heart.

"That's probably right," confirmed the air instructor with righteous contempt.

"Wouldn't you be happy, hm? Well, I'll play it by ear then," the woman shrugged, walking toward Fate.

Nanoha stopped her, not ready to trust her just yet and the Lieutenant-Colonel felt the tension in the room go a few notches higher. Hayate was ready to order her best friend to move aside if need be, knowing full well that if it came down to that, it could create a big strain in their relationship. The baffling faith she was feeling for this woman was so very disturbing that sometimes she wished she could just ignore it and shower the culprit with sly, acerb comments but… Was she really the culprit? The Echo did save Fate after all and it was all so very confusing that she shut down her thoughts for now.

"I only have fifteen minutes left, if we lose any more time, I won't be able to save your friend, is that what you want?" The woman reasoned with her after a tense silence, growing irritated by Nanoha's overprotectiveness.

"Hurt her even more and I'll kill you," warned Nanoha, moving out of the way.

"See if you can," scoffed the woman while gently lifting Fate in her arms, the snark comment combined to the action earning a rare growl from the auburn-haired woman.

"Please be gentle with her," interceded Shamal beside her, worried about her patient's state.

"I will," assured her the silver haired woman, softer than a second ago.

Just as this strange woman was securing her hold on Fate and cradling her surprisingly very carefully against her own body, the door opened loudly to let in Vita, Signum and Lindy-san. Inwardly, the young Lieutenant-Colonel groaned at the bad timing.

"Hayate, we… What the hell?!" Vita finished her sentence by reaching for her device.

Signum too reached for her device. Oh, hell no. Not again. If what the odd woman told them was true then they had no time for a repeat with the impulsive and fiery Vita-chan. As much as she loved her short knight, now was not the time. And she didn't have time either to explain the situation to a livid Lindy-san and a hostile Signum.

"All of you stop now, that's an order!" Commanded Hayate in her full authoritative tone, making them all freeze on the spot at the unusual outburst. "You, you follow me!" She said, pointing a finger at the silver haired woman. "And all of you!" She continued, daring the others to contradict her as her eyes flashed in aggravation. "You're coming along. Now!"

With that she walked briskly out of the room and out of the clinic department, not turning around to see if they were effectively following her or not, trying to think of a place to give them enough privacy at this time of the day. Accelerating her pace, she was nearly running by now, going to the training field since the place should be deserted and was the only idea that came to her mind. Thankfully no one was in the area and it was distant enough to prevent any more problem. At least she hoped so.

"Right," she said when she stopped walking. "This should do the… trick." She trailed off, not seeing the silver haired woman behind her as the others were also searching for the absent duo, rather crossly for Nanoha.

"It should, yes," said the woman, appearing just beside her.

"Eeep!" She blurted out, weirded out by that trick.

Seeing her materialize out of the blue and so close to her made her jump up half a foot but the strange woman just went on her way, walking away from them, not minding her reaction. Nanoha was about to follow her, Vita too, but she stopped them with her arms, barring their paths and ignoring the accusatory looks they were throwing at her.

"She said she needed space," she simply reminded them, tense somehow.

There was a small fraction of her mind telling her that it could be a trick to escape more easily and it was nagging at her. If it was the case, she would pass for an idiot.

"It could…"

"I know, Vita-chan," she interrupted her knight.

Scrutinizing the silver haired woman, she heard Nanoha on her left giving a command to Raging Heart and she sent her a panicked glare which her friend returned in earnest, a deep frown on her face before shrugging.

"Just in case."

Well, it couldn't hurt to be prepared, after all this woman was wanted in every administrative world and was their so-called enemy, so she let her charge a Divine Shooter. But if she truly was their enemy, why was she willing to help them again? Why did she give the Echo to her in order to save the blonde enforcer? Why was she so gentle with the unconscious Fate? It was puzzling her honestly because ten feet from them, the woman was situating the unconscious blonde with utmost care.

"She really is very careful," murmured Lindy-san, the confusion spreading without a doubt in her too at seeing her daughter handled so… gently.

The woman had kneeled on the ground, right behind Fate's body who was lying perpendicularly across from her, the blonde's head to their right. Keeping her gaze on the unconscious face of the blonde enforcer, the woman seemed very concerned and the sight was quite strange to watch. At least it was for her. But as she sent a glance around her, she could see the confusion in the women around her too, even Vita-chan.

"I assure you Nanoha, Fate won't have any additional injuries," said the woman, finally glancing at them and going rigid at the charging beam.

"How do you know our names?" Wondered out loud Nanoha, her Divine Shooter in line with her target.

The silver haired woman hesitated and surprisingly, disregarding the immediate threat to her health, closed her eyes for a couple of seconds, seemingly very uncomfortable. Hayate heard the voices behind her, Subaru had joined them and was talking with Teana, others were maybe on their way at the moment, but she didn't mind what was going on in her for the time being, her full attention on the strange situation.

"I know a lot about all of you," slowly said the woman, catching her eyes then looking at Nanoha. "But it's irrelevant," added the silver haired woman, casting a glance at Fate's form in front of her.

"Then why…"

"Please," insisted the woman, cutting off whatever Nanoha was about to say and anchoring her gaze in her own, flooring the brunette at the same time.

Those eyes… The emotions she had seen in them when they first met… It was all too clear in her mind and it was still disturbing her on some level.

"Whatever happens, do not come any more near than that," demanded the woman, a load of emotions brimming in her ruby red eyes, soft urgency to her tone. "I'm counting on you… Lieutenant-Colonel." Added the woman, her gaze intensifying as her heart gave a lurch in her chest.

She said it with the exact same intonation as before. The plea was surreal. The whole situation was surreal. Her own reaction was surreal, both now and before. She felt the tiniest blush coming to her cheeks again and it was so irksome… She felt like something bad was going to result of this and the mere thought of what could possibly go wrong next sent a shudder down her spine. A lot of things could go wrong at any given time, it was a knowledge that every commanding officer had to live with. And deal with it. But this woman demeanor was off.

Understanding only now how much the events were spiraling out of her control and how much she should have stopped the medics, her hands balled into fists. The woman's resignation, the apprehension lining her shoulders, the baffling tenderness she was directing at the enforcer she nearly killed. It was so very hard to wrap her mind around all of that. She wanted to say something then because somehow, she knew she will not like what was to come. She wanted to do something about it but she was rooted to the spot in the end. Apart from preventing anyone to approach the pair, she did absolutely nothing. And it was unnerving because as the silver haired woman spoke, she realized that the faith she had in this stranger was sort of genuine. Reinforce or not. And it was so not the logical thing to feel…

"Arrèn, Ethèn, Lathèn, give me the strength of a thousand suns."

A silver circle sprawled under the woman, wide enough to end only one foot away from her, illuminating the stranger and the enforcer as she saw wisps of energy circle around them both, silver for the woman and gold for Fate. They were spiraling slowly but rapidly became faster and faster, the ones coming from Fate attracted to the ones spiraling around the silver haired woman. She had never seen anything like this before, the wisps of energy were beautiful, thin and graceful but as the speed increased, they became more dangerous, menacing to cut anything encountering them. That's when the first hits landed on the woman.

The beautiful sight turned awful in a second flat as one, three, five, nine gashes appeared on her, cruelly slashing her deep enough to make her bleed quite profusely. Gasps, including her own, rose around her as she watched the woman being cut right under her nose by the spell she was performing.

Beside her Nanoha had lifted up Raising Heart, canceling her Divine Shooter, horrified by the disturbing show. It was one thing to be angry at someone but it was another thing entirely to see that person being cut down in front of your eyes. Plus, Hayate knew that Nanoha couldn't resist helping someone in need, it was her very nature so at this moment, enemy or not, she was sorry for the woman. Just like herself.

The young Lieutenant-Colonel lifted her foot to go to them, to help somehow, the anguish welling up in her overtaking her senses but a hand stopped her, probably Nanoha's since she was the only one near enough to reach her. A painful grunt came from the woman as the tendrils of energy rotated all around her. She lifted her eyes towards the sky, tears running freely on her cheeks as her blood was splashed all around and it tore another gasp from her throat. A droplet of blood actually landed on Hayate's own cheek and her eyes widened in shock. What was happening just now was one of the most unpleasant experiences of her life as they all stared dumbstruck at the woman being willingly cut to shreds. Not able to keep watching this, Hayate lowered her gaze on Fate and could see that she was completely unscathed by the whole ordeal, blissfully oblivious to it all. Another grunt, ragged, then a hiss escaped the lips of the now shaking woman and her stare came back to the face contorted in pain, the tears dripping n the cheeks and the red eyes roaming the skies above. Her shacking was even more pronounced by now and with a set jaw and gritted teeth, the woman glanced down at the blonde enforcer. When she thought the woman would surely pass out, no longer able to endure this anymore, the silver haired woman grunted one more time and then spoke.

"Calibrate her, Aggeris!" The unsteady voice laced with agony did not break.

"_**Calibrating, my Lord,**_" the device was nowhere to be seen but obeyed right away.

A glow enveloped the woman and the wisps of energy aligned themselves, merging each one of hers with the ones from Fate into a single entity, the two colors entwining. As the madness started to slow down, the glow dissipated and the now slow wisps kept on turning lazily around her, no more dangerous now than a stream of water. Blinking rapidly in a dazed like state, the woman with silver hair kept her gaze down and lifted her hand to stroke Fate's cheek, befuddling all of them and particularly Nanoha, who was turning a bit red under the sheer confusion gripping her.

"All done… Fate," her tone, exhausted, was also very soft.

She carefully backed away from the unconscious blonde on the ground, stroking her cheek one last time. She was absolutely not steady.

"All you have to do now… is to wake up." She was so… caring. Why?

Not a single word broke the silent spell hovering over all of them and the woman, to her astonishment, struggled to raise to her feet, succeeding despite her many wounds but staggering dangerously. Hayate was about to go to her and offer her help but a tiny mop of silver hair beat her to it, Rein flying right in front of the woman's face, seemingly as agitated as her mistress felt as she flailed her little arms up and down.

"You shouldn't stand!" Scolded the little pixie, puffing up her cheeks in worry.

Why was Rein concerned about her? Was she acting on her shell-shocked mistress' behalf or was it her own concern she was expressing?

"Ah, little one," weakly smiled the taller silver haired woman, a streak of blood running down her chin, the tone of endearment making it hard for her to focus on her next words. "I shouldn't…" A grunt hindered her speech but she resumed. "But I have to."

Did they know each other? The far-fetched thought left her even more confused since it was virtually impossible.

"Stop moving!" Insisted the pixie, growing alarmed as she came even closer to the woman, pushing her back in order to stop her movements.

The woman staggered back, recoiling from the surge of pain, and this time Hayate took a step toward her, worried that she could fall and hurt herself even more but she froze again when the woman effectively fell to her knees letting out a shout of pain, a fresh wave of blood cascading on her upper body. The fact that she was able to stand and move with those injuries was a feat in itself for all of them. The Lieutenant-Colonel stayed were she was, conscious of the many stares the commotion had surely attracted, resisting the urge to go to her and hold her upright. She knew she should not feel this way about this woman, especially when said woman was one of the most sought-after enemy of the TSAB out there. But she couldn't control her feelings, only clamp down on them.

"Please…" The soft plea was a weary grunt and quite heartbreaking. "Don't mess it up again," added the woman in a weak whisper.

Flabbergasted, Hayate was speechless for the longest time when in reality it was only five seconds. About to blurt out a bunch of questions, she frowned when she saw the woman swaying dangerously, ready to fall flat on her side a foot away from Fate-chan's body. For a second there she wondered if she was breathing at all while the religious silence behind her was starting to weird her out a little. That's when a little orb of white light appeared on the woman's left ear, whistling in an ominous low tone, a white crackle running down the side of her face. A frightened look immediately settled on her face as she reached for it with her hand in full blown panic.

"Aggeris, I can't survive this one!" She exclaimed to her hidden device, loud enough to be heard by everyone, her voice breaking in her weakened state.

"Why ar…" Rein was even more agitated now.

"What are yo…" Nanoha had taken a step toward her too, concerned by the plain panic.

Hayate herself was petrified by the sudden panic. The obvious fear.

"Aggeris don't." The silver haired woman whispered in unabashed dread, not listening to any of the others.

"_**I cannot resist, my Lord. Forgive me**_," the synthetic masculine voice sounded truly sorry to her consternation.

The unknown device was obviously resenting something. A little plug appeared on the woman's ear and Rein was floating close to her.

"_**Pariete activated, overrun mode."**_

The feminine synthetic voice made Hayate jump in surprise and she recalled something about it in the records. She could clearly remember the threads sprouting out and entrapping the woman in her battle against Fate, the obvious pain it was causing her. With no warning, a tangle of threads erupted all around the woman in a white explosion, trapping her in them as she began to smoke in various places to everyone's confusion. Again. Rein was instantly scorched by the oozing heat emanating from the threads and she backed away precipitately, letting out a cry of pain. Her blood turned cold as she registered that Rein was injured by this thing but a scream of sheer agony tore itself out of the woman's throat, loud enough to alert all the staff working at the Headquarters. The young Lieutenant-Colonel fought the urge to cover her ears in unbridled anguish at the awful sound. People were running to the scene, alarmed by the blood boiling scream.

"Nanoha!" Shouted Hayate, wanting to blast into oblivion those cursed threads, not considering it could hurt the woman even more in her distressed state.

"Huh!" Understood her friend, a pink glob of energy growing on her right.

Before any of them could move a finger however, the threads flashed white and a seal appeared under it, teleporting the screaming woman far away from them. The blast Nanoha shot a millisecond too late surged into the sky and disintegrated, her best friend redirecting it when her target disappeared.

The silence that settled on them after that scream was deafening, each one of them glancing over at the others to see if someone knew what just happened. It took them several minutes to move again. When she did, Hayate just walked toward the blood-stained ground, a sense of anguish entering her mind. Rein was close to her and she gestured to her to come closer to inspect her bright red skin. It was hot to the touch.

"Shamal," she called softly, hearing the steps on her right before seeing the blonde doctor.

With a spell, she soothed the little pixie and Rein was staring at her mistress sadly, reflecting her own state of mind. Looking down at Fate-chan still lying on the floor and stained with blood that wasn't hers, she kneeled. Nanoha joined her just a second later, letting go of her barrier jacket and cradling the blonde enforcer in her arms. That's when the miracle they had waited for so long struck them in the most unexpected way. Securely cradled against Nanoha's body, Fate-chan's hand twitched. They both stared at each other in amazement, speechless when it occurred a second time.

"Shamal!"

This time the blonde doctor came running. She saw another movement and a light instantly sparkled in the amethyst eyes of the blonde doctor as she asked Nanoha to lift the blonde and bring her back to the medical department right about now. She needed to tend to her and to give her a full checkup.

"What is it?" Asked Lindy worriedly, nearing them.

"She moved her hand!" Brightly said Nanoha while lifting the blonde up, her smile big enough to make everyone pause and consider her.

It had been so long since they saw that full smile on her lips that Hayate couldn't help but smile in response, glad to see newfound hope entering her best friend's eyes. Then Shamal gestured for them to go to the medical department and she was about to follow when she turned around, glancing at the blood again. _"Aggeris, I can't survive this one!"_ Was it true? Would she die without her thanks? The very thought made her frown slightly. There was so much she wanted to ask the silver haired woman. Nanoha called her and she turned around, leaving the training area in a jog, smiling to the agents gathered there despite the fear gripping her guts. Rein was floating over her shoulder and she had a gloomy expression on her face. Once again, she asked herself if the little pixie knew the woman somehow or if she was just acting like this based on her resemblance with Eins. This god-awful scream…

"Lieutenant Colonel Yagami Hayate," demanded a baritone voice, a tall man walking in her direction.

"Yes?" She stopped dead in her tracks, watching the tall man who was a fellow Commander of the TSAB as he came to a stop in front of her, greeting her with a nod.

Nanoha turned around and Shamal did too while Lindy, Vita-chan and Signum were catching up with them.

"You are to attend an exceptional council reunion to determine your responsibilities in what just transpired here," stated the man, not showing any kind of emotion.

"Y-Yes," she stammered, all the hope and dread she was feeling previously being flushed right down the toilet as reality came back to her in the form of a slap.

"Follow me, please," he ordered, not concerned with the crowd forming.

"Hayate-chan…" Nanoha was worried, hesitating between going to the medical department or going with her instead.

All her knights were giving her a worried look too and Rein was making faces at the stuck-up Commander, which made her smile and gave her the strength she needed to reassure them. She told them that she would be just fine and that they should take care of Fate-chan, it was more important at the moment. They made dubious faces but she didn't give them time to question her as she walked away, following the tall man.

Telling them that she would be just fine was a white lie since she was not so sure of herself anymore. How was she going to turn everything to her advantage now that she had to justify her decisions? She will have to be very careful in her choice of words and in what exactly happened with their silver haired enemy. Maybe, leave to the side some details? Dreading what was to come, she sighed heavily. At least, Fate-chan had moved for the first time since the beginning of her interminable coma so she was hopeful for her to wake up soon. It could hold off the worst of what was to come. Thinking of her best friend and the movement in her hand, she smiled to herself. Whatever happens after this reunion, it was totally worth it.

Entering the biggest building of the Headquarters, they took the elevator to the third floor, a long corridor, then another elevator to the seventh floor. The council room was at the other end of this corridor. _That's it, all bets are off._

Nodding to herself to try and assuage her freaking nerves, she breathed deeply while approaching the imposing doors of the council room. Right in front of them, the doors were looming heavily on her petite frame and the man escorting her turned around, sending her a look of reticent approval, which was a weird look.

"I hope you know what you're doing, miss Yagami," He commented in a low voice. "Some of our fellow commanders don't like being kept in the dark on such a high priority menace."

"Thank you for the warning," she said, bowing to him.

He nodded, giving her an almost imperceptible smile, then he opened the door and slipped into the big room rigidly. Taking another deep breath, she closed her eyes to regain a semblance of composure. The hope of seeing Fate-chan awake again was battling with the apprehension she felt for this particular reunion. Breathing deeply, she tried to stifle her emotional turmoil for now at least. It was time to enter the solemn room and face the music.

* * *

She probably landed in the middle of the hall. Groaning, she felt the worn-out carpet under her, the smell of leather mixed up with the rain registering to her mind. She was home. The mansion was as bleak as ever, air flowing freely in every room, the freezing atmosphere stinging her wounds as one of the puppets came running to her, the others watching sadly as she tried to move, crying out in pain when it backfired.

"Stand!" The panicked voice was vaguely familiar but she was unable to stand at this point. "Stand, please!"

Someone picked her up under her shoulders and another one took her legs before she was moved somewhere else. She gasped, too weak to scream. All she could feel was unbridled pain. All she could think of was unbridled pain. This room was too bright and her vision cleared painfully under the onslaught of white light, catching sight of the metallic table with straps. The scent of antiseptics and chemical products was strong in here. She hated that scent but she was too far gone to care or try to escape and the worried visage of one of the puppets entered her vision, trying to talk to her. Probably Leneth. Whatever she was saying to her was not registering to her mind. She was deaf with pain. A voice, strong and sweet, fleeted through the entire manor, making the puppets flee the room in fright while the voice also resonated in her mind.

_"Well, well, where were you, my hound? I don't have time to play hide and seek with you, I am a busy man, you know? When I whistle, you better come to me…"_

The words were a reproof. The long figure of her master entered the room and when he actually spotted her on the metallic table, she saw the devious grin. He was enjoying the sight.

_"Oh my, what a nice piece of work. Who did this to you? I have to compliment them."_

He was poking the holes in her arm and then those on her side, heightening the pain and making her crazy with renewed hatred. The short dark grey hair on his head was standing in all directions and his glasses, large in scale but thin in the frame, were shining under the harsh lights. She was on the verge of dying but she knew he wouldn't let her die, not before he had what he wanted.

_"You, my hound, need some stitches."_

She saw the glint of a needle but her eyes rolled in her orbits before anything could pierce her again. It was too much and she could not fight against it anymore so she fell into oblivion. Gladly.

* * *

To be continued... And yes, next chapter will have what you are all waiting for! Yay!


	10. Peace and Quiet

Fair warning: this chapter is way too long because admittedly I went overboard. But come on, in a situation like this one I really think it would go like this. Plus, I like the result. But... Oh dear, grab a snack or a drink, it's a long read.

**Guest**: Hi. Well, right about now in fact. Thank you for your interest and enjoy!

**Sun2**: Hello Sun. Yeah, I am not too fond of medics myself. For the silver haired woman, she really do looks like Eins, that's all I'm saying. You will learn who she is but later, for now, Fate and the Echo are more important (some fluffy moments would be nice too *wink wink*). Sorry, I cannot say too much without shooting the plot and what sort of writer would I be if I did that to my own story? Have faith though, all will be revealed in due time. Thank you again, Sun.

**Nara375**: Hi Nara. Well, the silver haired woman is a complicated matter, I worked on her after all. She has good reasons. Ah yes, age, I didn't mention it before. Fate, Nanoha and Hayate are 23~24 years old since this story is set towards the end of Vivid. I'm not too concerned with the martial part though so don't be surprised if I don't mention it. Erio and Caro are both 14 years old. Vivio is 10 years old, almost 11. Also, Lindy is not retired. And yes, the man behind the silver woman is quite demented. I answered to almost everything, for the rest, you'll have to read. Thank you for the review, Nara!

**Grace**: Hello Grace. I'm trying to keep it up yes, not easy but I think I can mange, and like I said before, I'll do my best for you guys. Thank you for your kind words, it's really helpful to hear from all of you. Feel free to keep up the reviews lol. Enjoy!

Side note: one of these days I will edit the story in order to correct my confusion over eyes color between Hayate and Nanoha. Hayate is the one with the sky blue eyes. Nanoha has cornflower blue eyes (blue with some violet) but... meh, I don't have the time right now. I just wanted to point it out in case any of you had seen this little mistake. It's a detail though, for now it'll have to do.

Have a good read and a nice day! (or night! or whatever!)

* * *

_**Two of Diamond**_

10\. Peace and Quiet

* * *

Her consciousness was returning achingly slowly to her. She was lying down on some sort of soft surface, probably a bed, and she was happy just lying down for a while longer. Her body felt odd, sort of tingly and there was a tightening in her chest, something foreign, nor painful nor comforting. Just plain irksome. Now that she was gradually regaining her senses, she could smell the aseptic scent lingering generally in hospitals, surrounding her, and she was aware that the light shining behind her lids was going to hurt her sight if she was to open her eyes.

Something was moving on her right arm, a repeated movement that was doing wonders in calming her rapidly stressing nerves. She felt heavy, and sort of rusted. Keeping her breathing even, she let her lungs fill and allowed the air to drain from them again, the calm regularity soothing her even more. Where was she? Racking her memory in hope of finding some clues the vivid image of the silver haired woman came to her mind's eyes, the tears, the black and silver, the blood and the never-ending fight. Did she survive to that fight? If the things she just registered before were effectively real, then yes, she must have survived that fight. How much time did she sleep? How much damage had she sustained? The last question was the most important to her. She needed to go back to her former life. Protecting people was all she was about and all she'll ever be.

She was thinking to herself when a voice said that she was leaving them and to keep an eye on her. That she could wake up anytime now. Who was talking? It sounded like Shamal. And who was watching over her? She made the assumption that the "her" was for herself. Maybe not. Perhaps there was another injured woman in that room.

She just regained consciousness but she was exhausted. Was it normal? Maybe.

"Do you hear me, Fate-chan?"

Nanoha?

"Shamal said that you will wake up soon. I am so impatient that I could shake you out of your unconsciousness myself but I am too afraid to hurt you. I waited until now, I'll wait a little more." The inflection in her voice was so very hurt though.

Her best friend paused and Fate wanted to smile at her silly idea, doubting that shaking her awake was the best way to go about it. Feeling the foreign tingle running up and down her body, she mentally grimaced. It would make it worse.

"Please, Fate-chan. Come back to us… I miss you…" The hurt again.

Her best friend's voice almost broke at the last part and she felt her heart contract painfully as she registered the distress in it. How long did she sleep? She tried to part her lips and use her own voice but her throat was so dry she had a hard time swallowing at all. She tried anyway, the poor result not bringing enough wetness in it to allow her to talk so she abandoned the idea and went with the best next thing.

The movement on her arm was still there, careful but steady, and she moved her hand slowly, feeling her fingers spread, her wrist twist a little, her arm stretch ever so slightly. Whoever was stroking her arm stopped and she was pretty sure, hearing her so close to her, that it was Nanoha.

"Fate-chan?"

Her best friend was the one stroking her arm since she regained consciousness. When this knowledge fully registered to her muddy mind, she felt a mild sense of satisfaction settle in her. And some comfort too. Her best friend was with her in this room, she had no reason to make things harder on her and delay her full awakening any further. Even if exhaustion was still lingering in her full body, she carefully moved her legs, then her arms, making fists with her hands.

"Fate-chan…"

Her tone was full of hope and she could think of only one reason why someone would insufflate so much of it in just one name. She must have been absent for a long time and make everyone worry for her. The very thought of it saddened her. She hated it when she was the one causing negative feelings in her friends and families. She lifted her hand, twisting her arm, the fingers on it lifting to give her some room as she presented her hand to her best friend, wanting her to take it. And she did. Careful fingers glided on her opened palm and she was pleased to have them there, softly enfolding them.

Deciding it was about time to open her eyes, she let out a grunt as the fake lights sent needles in them, forcing her to blink repeatedly to try and lessen the discomfort.

"Fate." The new voice broke on her name.

Mom? She was in the room too? Must be, and she was in turmoil it would seem. The white ceiling above her was as boring as any ceiling but at least it was good to be able to see it. Turning her head slightly she searched her best friend and a tiny smile stretched her lips when she saw her, looking down on her with big blue eyes full of joy. It was a beautiful sight.

"Fate-chan!"

The smile her best friend let loose was really bright and it made her heart miss a beat in her chest. Well, her connection to the Ace of Aces was as strong as ever, of that she was certain now. Her throat was really bothering her though and she tried to swallow again to make it better. Nanoha saw it and she reached for something on the side of her bed, presenting a glass of water to her lips, smiling softly as she tilted it a little.

"Here."

She parted her lips obediently as water poured slowly in her mouth, swallowing it and reveling in the sensation of her throat smoothing up. Drinking some more, she noted the slight concern on her best friend's face and the many looks she was directing at her eyes, searching them for some sort of reassurance. What was she worried about? When the glass of water was finally empty, her friend put it away and she finally spoke, glad to be able to.

"Thank you, Nanoha," she let out in a whisper, not forcing her vocal cords yet.

Her best friend smiled even more softly and the hand still in her own squeezed it.

"Lindy-san, call Shamal," asked Nanoha to her mother, sending a smile to the woman witnessing the scene somewhere she couldn't see her yet.

It reminded her of something else she had to do and in an instant, her glamour flickered on her skin, back in place and covering whatever markings she was sporting on top of the old ones.

"Y-Yes," her mother's voice was a bit shaky.

It made her want to embrace the teal haired woman in order to soothe her but she was not ready to stand yet. She felt weak and strangely stiff. Must be the long immobility. The air instructor was still holding her hand and watching her face with that beautiful smile of hers and she decided that a little more rest was in order, closing her eyes again. They waited for the blonde doctor in a comfortable silence, her mind stuck on the woman that had bested her seemingly effortlessly, wondering how she could still breathe.

* * *

Three hour later, Nanoha was watching the blonde doctor performing spells on her best friend, surveying her vitals when she herself fidgeted in impatience, annoyed to be separated from the blonde enforcer now that she was finally awake. Lindy-san was smiling beside her, fully aware of her restlessness but not commenting on it since she was sending glares at the green clad doctor every time Shamal turned toward her to raise an amused eyebrow. She was particularly funny to them today it would seem. So funny that she wanted to grab the blonde doctor and throw her out the window but alas, there was no window in this room.

"Well Fate-chan, all your wounds have healed and your recovery is complete," declared Shamal enthusiastically.

"Can I stand then?" Softly asked the blonde enforcer, slight discomfort on her face.

"No, not so soon, but I can prop you up if you'd like," offered the doctor.

"I would like that, yes," answered her best friend.

Not needing more prompting, Shamal went out of the room to get fetch something while Nanoha hesitated to approach her best friend, not sure if it was the right moment but when the blonde doctor entered the room again, she knew she was well inspired not to. Two big pillows in hands, the green clad woman came back to the convalescent woman and helped her to sit, gently maintaining her upright before stalling her back against them. Now sitting up on her bed, Fate sent a glance at the other two women in her room and gave them a gentle smile. It did wonders to assuage her restlessness.

"I am glad to see you awake, Fate-chan," serenely said Shamal, taking a second to look the blonde enforcer in the eyes and smile happily at her.

"T-Thank you," replied the blonde enforcer, flustered a bit.

"I will go warn everyone that you are awake," smiled the blonde doctor. "I'm afraid there is a lot of people who will want to see you," she warned her blond best friend, serious.

"I'm sorry I made you all worry for me," Fate answered, frowning a bit.

"Don't worry about that, we are just glad for your recovery," dismissed the doctor.

Shamal was leaving the bed's side when Fate's burgundy eyes settled on her and she couldn't help but fidget again under the burgundy eyes, fighting the urge to rush to her and hug her for all she was worth. Her best friend was staring at her quite attentively and it made her nervous somehow. Why was she looking at her like that?

"Shamal?" Called the blonde enforcer, making her pause at the door with an interrogative expression. "Could you postpone the visits for now? I'd like to gather myself before that."

"Of course," answered the blonde doctor, casting a glance at her before looking back at the enforcer. "I'll give you some time." The side of her lips were curled upward.

Where were the windows when you needed to throw a doctor through on of them? With that the blonde doctor left them and she watched as her best friend's face scrunched up in confusion, not understanding what just occurred between the blonde and herself. Nanoha stepped forward, throwing a hesitant look in Lindy-san's direction but the teal woman only smiled at her, nodding her head in encouragement while she watched over them in silent happiness. So, she took another step toward the blonde enforcer who was a bit more serious looking by now.

"I'm not going anywhere, Nanoha," said Fate, looking at her with that beautiful smile of hers while trying to reassure her.

"Please don't," she nodded, an edge in her voice, feeling the onslaught of her emotions raging in her chest at the words.

There was a brief pause, the beautiful burgundy red eyes observing her softening.

"Come here," called the blonde enforcer, extending her hand to her.

It made her smile a wobbly smile while Fate surveyed her features attentively. She came to the bed and sat gingerly on it, mindful of not hurting her best friend and let out a surprised yelp when two arms suddenly snaked around her waist and yanked her further in, pressing her firmly against Fate's body behind her. She felt her best friend's breath against her ear and neck and a small blush crept onto her cheeks as she looked down, embarrassed now. She knew Fate-chan was probably blushing at her own actions too.

"I'm not going anywhere, Nanoha," repeated the blonde in a whisper, squeezing her gently and it was all she could do to not break down in front of them. "Let it out," softly demanded Fate, and she was unable to resist this time.

She was too happy, too worried, too strung up, too tired, too hurt and too elated to keep her emotions in check any longer, not with Fate holding her like that.

The tears came to her eyes with a vengeance and she sobbed, bending a bit in her arms as she held her more closely. Now that some had been released, she was unable to stop the flood following closely behind and she cried in her best friend's arms. She didn't want to, not in front of Lindy-san but she just couldn't stop herself at this point. The arms around her tightened, shifting her frame to reposition her sideway. Her right shoulder was now against Fate's chest and the blonde enforcer hugged her sideway, gently cradling her head with one hand and bringing it to her neck. It undone her even more as she brought her own arms around her best friend, a hiccup leaving her lips as she closed her eyes to just… let it out.

She felt Fate shifting against her, keeping her securely in her arms while she let go a part of the pent-up emotions choking her for so long, reveling in the feel of Fate so close to her, alive and healthy again. It was a relief she had no words to express.

"Don't ever do this to us again," said Lindy from her spot two feet away, her voice breaking again toward the end.

"Mom," whispered Fate, moving one of her arms away from her.

Opening her eyes, she saw Lindy walking to them, tears flowing on her face too, and she realized that the Admiral was presently choking on her own emotions, just like herself. The teal haired woman put her hand in the one offered by her daughter and she saw them tightening their fingers in a fast hold.

"I won't," pledged her best friend, heavy seriousness weighing in her voice.

It made Lindy smile and she felt a smile creeping on her own lips too. She was finally back, she truly came back to them. The elation she was feeling at this moment was so strong it terrified her so she burrowed herself further in the embrace and just reveled in the moment.

Progressively the onslaught of emotions assailing her ran out of fuel and twenty minutes later she found herself leaning against her best friend with a point-blank state of mind. It felt strange to feel so empty after having so much emotions lashing out at her from all directions. The day of work was almost over, agents were readying themselves to leave the Headquarters grounds and tonight Nanoha didn't want to leave the place. She just wanted to stay here and hug the blonde the entire night. She wanted to indulge in the need to hold her close and never let her go but it was a bit much and felt far too intense so she let the need pass. A slight flush was probably on her cheeks but pressed like this against Fate's upper body, it was to be expected and hopefully not too suspicious.

How she had missed her blonde best friend… At this moment she thought of Vivio and of the little blonde's tears flowing every night and she frowned. She wanted her daughter to be happy like she was now so, with heavy regret, she separated from her best friend, moving off of the bed.

"Lindy-san, please keep an eye on her for me," she asked while straightening her clothes.

"Are you leaving?" Demanded Fate behind her, disappointment clear in her voice.

"I won't be too long," she said, turning around with a smile. "There's someone who really needs to see you, Fate-chan." Seeing the confusion then the burgeoning comprehension in her burgundy eyes made her smile even more before she turned to the Admiral.

Lindy-san instantly understood who she was referring to and she nodded. "We'll be waiting for you."

That was all she needed to hear before leaving the room. She was half tempted to kiss the blonde on the forehead to lessen the displeasure of leaving her now of all times but she had to go and she couldn't do that anyway. Hugs and smiles and soft touches were free to do gestures between them but kisses were scarce as they were much more meaningful. So, she left, her emotions in a tangled mess. Vivio needed to be here for this, her daughter disserved to see her healthy Fate-mama as soon as possible.

* * *

Fate had been pained to see her leave her side, the auburn-haired woman presence had a way of soothing her so she was unable to hide her disappointment but her mom was still in there with her and she was glad to talk with her too. When she started to question her about what happened, she explained it all to her, the months of coma, the critical condition she was in, the painful possibility of her dying despite Shamal's desperate attempts to heal her, the hard decisions made by her other best friend in order for her to survive, the thing now resting in her chest. It had been quite a lot to take in. It took well over fifty minutes for her mom to explain it all to her and she listened attentively, not interrupting her once. She had to learn it all, and her mom was the best source for that, she was straight to the point and reliable.

When she had asked about Nanoha her mom had hesitated, needing to be prompted to actually say what she had to say to her. It was hard to wrap her head around all the information but she felt even sadder to learn that a lot of them had been worried for her best friend too. It had been rough on all of them but still harsher on Nanoha. Then her mom had talked about Hayate and the frightening risks she took herself to ensure she would survive… It worried her more than she cared to admit at the moment and she was now concerned for her two best friends.

That's when the first knock resounded in the room and Fate's eyes went wide, not so comfortable when the door opened to give way to the Lieutenant-Colonel, Vita and Signum. Rein, who was floating near her mistress flew right toward her and stopped an inch from her face, making her blush softly in embarrassment.

"Finally!" Shouted the little woman, going higher to pat her head.

The sight must have been funny because Hayate let out a giggle and Vita smirked, which brought even more colors on her cheeks.

"Fate-chan," softly greeted the Lieutenant-Colonel, a healthy dose of relief and joy in her slate blue eyes.

She was really uncomfortable to have all of them staring at her like this when for her it felt like yesterday since she'd last seen them but she had to keep down the embarrassment and reassure them on her health, thank them for their concern and soothe whatever insecurities her brunette best friend could still have. It was far more important than her everlasting awkwardness in social gatherings.

"Hayate," she gave her a smile, hand outstretched and gesturing for her to come nearer. When the brunette complied, giving her hand to her, she yanked on it forcefully, making her yelp in surprise and land on her in an improvised hug. She had to take actions for what the silly TSAB commander did for her, it was far too dangerous and to see one of her friends harmed because of her was one of the last things she wanted to see. "Don't ever endanger you on my behalf," she softly chided her, putting a little more force in the hug to support her words.

She saw Signum smile at the light reprimand and Vita nod in agreement, both content with me talking about it with their mistress it would seem.

"Ah! You're one to talk," the brunette scoffed, leaning back with a wobbly smile.

"I'm serious, Hayate, taking risks is what I do," she said, making a general gesture to her previous condition. "But not you, and especially not alone."

"I did it for you," the Lieutenant-Colonel defended herself, a bit ruffled by the truthful words.

"And I'm happy you did because I am here, but no more," she softly told her, tightening her hold on the brunette's hand and concern surfacing in her voice. When she saw that her friend was about to protest, she talked before her, gentle but overly serious. "I can't lose you."

Unbeknownst to her, those words were the ones the Lieutenant-Colonel used this one time to defend her actions and it rang a bell in the now silent room. It seemed to reach her best friend with keen accuracy and a lone tear escaped the slate blue eyes, which caused her to feel a tad guilty for scolding her like that so she tugged on her hand again, giving her a proper hug this time.

"Thank you," she whispered in her ear, feeling the need to kiss her to make her understand the full extent of her gratefulness and concern so, flushing a bit, she did.

The Lieutenant-Colonel broke in tears then and she let her cry, the brunette returning the hug in earnest. She hadn't seen her best friends cry like this in a long time, both of them keeping generally a tight grip on their emotions. She was the crybaby of the group after all. It had shocked her when Nanoha cried earlier and it was shocking her yet again now, revealing to her how close they had been to lose her in the first place. It was… saddening her to see them like this. She caught the eyes of Signum and the knight smiled at her one of her franc smiles.

"Welcome back, Testarossa," greeted her old rival, a tinge of relief in her eyes too.

It must have been something then because Signum was never one to show her feelings except in dire circumstances. And she was at the moment.

"I'm back," she smiled wholeheartedly at her, nodding her thanks.

"Vita was worried too," intervened Rein teasingly, floating out of reach and making her take a glance at the short knight.

"D-Don't be stupid, I-I was not worried!" Protested Vita, her face turning red in embarrassment as she crossed her arms. "I was merely concerned for the others," she said with a shrug, not looking in her direction.

"Thank you, for keeping an eye on them," she softly told the fiery woman, smiling at the predictable behavior.

"N-No problem," deflected the short knight, nodding to the wall.

Signum and her mom smiled at the difficult act the knight of the hammer was pulling and she saw it too. The awkward exchange actually made Hayate giggle against her and they separated, the Lieutenant-Colonel's expression far calmer while a smile was taking roots on her lips. Her best friend was not speaking to her but she saw the message in her eyes and heard it in her mind. _"It's good to have you back,"_ softly admitted the brunette. _"I'm not going anywhere,"_ she told her seriously, using the same words than for Nanoha and meaning them. The young Lieutenant-Colonel nodded and left the side of the bed, joining her knights.

The door opened with a loud crash and a blur of orange came running to her, latching onto her with enough force to flatten the pillows behind her. Her eyes opened wide in surprise, now staring at the ceiling, but also at the pain that shot in her whole body, doing her best not to show it.

"Fate!" The distressed cry rang loudly in the room.

Arf was a trembling mess and was sprawled on her. Her familiar was crying already and she was truly sorry to see her in this state. Straightening the both of them to be sitting again, ignoring the burning pain in her midriff, she wrapped her in her arms and made soft soothing sounds as another person entered the room. Chrono was looking at her in relief, his happiness more guarded but shining in his eyes nonetheless, giving her one of his warmest smiles. She returned it, still whispering softly to soothe the dog-girl clinging to her for dear life. Physically, Arf probably was the one who most suffered during her coma.

"Arf, I'm fine now," she whispered to her.

"I was so close to lose you!" Cried the familiar, distressed and still not letting go. "So close!"

"I've been told, yes, and I'm sorry to have worried you again," she softly answered, squeezing her a little bit more to help calm her down.

When the familiar finally lifted her eyes up, the blue orbs were full of tears and anguish, sending a pang of guilt in her heart. If she had been more focused in this fight, maybe she could have avoided all this. She was not so sure of it but just maybe… she could have fared better.

"Be more careful," requested her distraught familiar.

"I will," she promised, nodding to strengthen her words.

Shamal entered the room and frowned at seeing Fate sitting with no pillows to support her convalescent body.

"What are you doing, Arf?" Asked too serenely the blonde doctor, her eyes zeroing on the familiar half climbing on the bed, not too happy.

"Nothing!" Squealed the familiar, bouncing off the bed in slight apprehension, backing away and hiding behind her mom.

It made her smile. Shamal walked to the bed and resituated her, propping her up on the pillows again and smiling at the flush invading her cheeks at the attention. She was still really bad at handling this sort of situation. Reclining a bit, she could still feel the tingle running up and down her body, electrifying her arms and legs, rendering her agitated somehow. Doing her best not to show it to them it was steadily transforming in a nuisance though and her clamping on it was of no help. It was like a current of energy and she was feeling the need to move somehow, to use it in any form before it could develop in something more bothersome. Her legs twitched under the sheets, reacting to the tingle and escaping her control for a second and Shamal paused above her, lifting a curious eyebrow. The sudden jolt had made some pain flare but softening her face, she simply smiled, not letting her see the restlessness growing in her. Or the latent pain.

It was a lost cause though. Her legs twitched again and her left arm did too when the blonde doctor turned her back on her to go scold her familiar, not letting it go apparently. Trying to contain the frown creeping up on her face she saw Signum and Hayate pay more attention to her. Chrono too. Ah well, it could not be helped. Flinging the sheets away from her she turned on the bed, making sure her hospital smock would not ride up.

"Fate-chan?" Worriedly called a wary Hayate which made Shamal spin around.

"What are you doing? I told you it is too soon!" Scolded her the blonde doctor, coming back to her to stop her.

But she didn't let her, raising a hand to placate her as she let the frown she was containing finally show on her face, concentrating on her movements. The strange energy… was it coming from the thing they implanted in her? How did her mom call it again? Echo?

"I need to move," she softly said to them, her voice stressing out the need part.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she saw her mom and Shamal make a move, probably to help her.

"Don't," she gently stopped them, feeling… strange.

What was happening? She was just fine moments ago so why was she now so restless that she felt the need to stand and do… something? She was hyperventilating and a thin layer of perspiration broke loose on her skin, the energy contradicting the stiffness lingering in her muscles. Knowing that she was losing control over her emotions she closed her eyes and breathed deeply, not minding the onlookers for once. Carefully controlling her breathing, she could hear her heart slowing down a notch and as she persisted, the tingle lessened. It was not what she wanted to do but it helped. Did she have to be careful with her emotional state now that this thing was in her?

Opening her eyes again she sent them a reassuring smile, letting them know that she was alright and that everything was fine. Then she planted her feet on the ground and stood, unsteady at first since her legs needed to regain some strength but she regained her balance quickly enough. Straightening fully, she moved her arms and legs, still feeling the tingle sensation and the latent pain but feeling less edgy now that she was standing beside her bed. She caught the dumbfounded look of Shamal who was staring at her in utter disbelief.

"How is this possible?" Wondered aloud the other blonde woman.

"I…"

The door flung open once again, everyone pausing and watching as Vivio barged into the room like a cannonball, sprinting toward her with a delighted squeal. Her face automatically softened a great deal when she saw the sandy blonde and the tingle receded a bit.

"Mama!"

The little blonde flung herself at her and she reflexively caught her in her arms when she landed against her body, not too bothered by the sudden change in balance and ignoring the pain. Hoisting her up to hug her properly, her little girl was hiccupping and sniffing a lot while hiding her head in the crook of her neck, making her press her arms more snuggly around her. Shamal wanted to say something to her, probably on her upright position and how it could be a bad idea but the blonde doctor was not about to speak when the little girl needed her attention and she was grateful for that. She noted that her mom was a bit worried for the little girl too and she wondered how the sandy blonde had managed while she was gone.

"Shh, Vivio, I'm here," she cooed softly, observing as Nanoha reentered the room and froze entirely when she saw her standing beside her bed.

"Fate… chan?" The hesitation and concern was quite blatant.

"It's okay, Vivio, I'm here," she gently cooed again, not minding her best friend's interrogative stare or anyone else for that matter, concentrating solely on calming down the shaking girl in her arms. "Shh, breathe slowly," she softly whispered to her girl, rocking her carefully from side to side.

Minutes passed like this while the little blonde gradually calmed down from her excitement and the jumble of emotions going on in her head, no one saying anything but no one leaving the room either. It was a tad intrusive to have them all stare at her while she reassured her little girl but maybe it was to be expected. Progressively the young girl stopped crying and her ragged breathing stopped heaving in the silent room. When Vivio leaned back in her arms to look at her mama's face, there was pure and unbridled joy in her heterochromatic eyes. It made her smile a tender smile.

"Better?" She asked her gently, lifting her eyebrows ever so slightly.

"Hm!" Enthusiastically answered her little girl, going back to her neck for another hug.

A timid knock on the door attracted everyone's attention again and she looked at it as it opened again, Teana picked a look inside the room, hesitating when she saw the admittedly crowded space. But when the younger enforcer started to excuse herself and said that they would come back later she smiled at her demeanor.

"Come in," she softly invited her and whoever was with her.

Adding one person or two won't be more embarrassing than it already was for her so at least, after this she'll be done with it. Hopefully. She was glad to see them all and to be able to reassure them concerning her health but her natural shyness was making it hard on herself, families and close friends were no exception. Heading the invitation Teana entered the room, followed by Subaru, of course. Then two other persons followed them in the room and her smile widened ever so slightly in satisfaction, her eyes softening on their own. Erio and Caro. They were looking at her in relief and surprise at seeing her standing already, the red headed boy took a step toward her but halted when he saw Vivio still in her arms, snuggled up against her. She sent a look to Nanoha while she bent down to set the little blond down, her best friend, understanding the silent request, coming to them to take care of Vivio for a bit.

"I don't want to leave Fate-mama!" Cried the sandy blonde, reaching her hands up toward the blonde enforcer who smiled at her a tender smile.

"Just for a moment, Vivio," her soft tone seemed to soothe the little blonde's fears and she went to Nanoha, clutching her leg while the air instructor started to caress her hair, her eyes never leaving her own as she did so.

The Ace of Aces was keeping to herself for the time being, Fate could just see it and it was worrying her to be honest. The red headed boy took another step toward her, his face tight with emotion and she opened her arms to him, silently encouraging him. It was all he needed to close the distant between them and they hugged each other tightly, her adopted son trembling in her arms for a second or two. She sent a look to Caro behind him, seeing as she was staying away from them, tears gathering in her eyes. They were still only fourteen and still too young to lose their adopted mother, especially like this. She hated it when her children were crying, even more so when she was the cause for it.

"You gave us quite the fright," softly complained the red headed boy when he separated from her, contained tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry for that," she said, stroking his cheek to help ease up his emotionally frayed nerves. He smiled at the gesture as calm settled in his face and then he sent a glance at his shy coworker behind him, the pink haired girl timidly staying away.

Fate couldn't help but want to hug her adopted daughter but apparently the short teen was too indecisive to make any move. Smiling gently at her, she directly walked toward her shy daughter, smiling more softly when she saw her eyes widen a bit as she approached her.

"Caro," she called to the girl who was doing her best not to cry apparently.

She really made them all worry far too much for her it would seem, she will have to make it up to them in some way or another because it was already weighing on her shoulders. Putting a hand on the pink haired girl's head she used it to bring her against her, pressing her to her midriff as the teen gripped a handful of her long hospital smock.

"It's over, I'm perfectly fine now," she gently reassured her, throwing this in the silent room to make sure everyone would hear it and be at ease.

It was the truth, she felt perfectly fine. Mostly. While she was hugging her adopted daughter, smoothing down her pink tresses, her eyes lifted up to look at Teana, smiling to her. She appreciated her assistant's lucidity on bringing those two to her as soon as possible.

"It's good to see you up and about again," her fellow enforcer said, her voice warm with the welcoming back kind of tone she had.

Subaru nodded with a bright smile beside her, for once keeping her mouth shut, and she just smiled at them, at a loss for words now. She felt herself blush slightly under all of their attention, it was becoming quite overwhelming to say the truth and some of them smiled at her uneasiness, not surprised by it. Caro separated from her after some time, the tears she had tried to contain leaving streaks on her cheeks and she wiped them for her, caressing her cheeks just like she did with Erio while whipping them away. The red tinge on her daughter's cheeks intensified but the short girl was smiling nonetheless.

"I don't mean to be rude but it's time for all of you to leave, Fate still needs to rest," announced Shamal in a gentle but firm voice.

It reminded her that she was to stay in this room, alone, for the night to come and the feeling it induced in her was not a happy feeling. She didn't want to lie down in that bed again all by herself. Not now that she was able to move and carry herself just fine, not now that the restlessness in her body was bound to drive her crazy at some point in the night. Not when she knew Nanoha needed her. They were all hesitating, not wanting to oppose Shamal on the rest part but not willing to leave just yet apparently and she turned to her bed, walking back to it to half sit on its edge, catching Nanoha's eyes on her way since her best friend was standing close by it. She had made up her mind already but those eyes confirmed to her that she had to go home and appease the load of emotions trapped in there. There was too much raw emotions in those sky-blue eyes of hers, ready to burst.

"I'm not staying, Shamal," she softly contradicted the blonde doctor, everyone looking at her in surprise while the green clad woman sputtered in consternation.

"W-What do you mean you're not staying?" The floundered blonde doctor was looking at her in total incomprehension.

"I am going home tonight," she elaborated, sending a soft glance at Vivio who jumped in glee and came to her, hugging her side. "Please, I've had enough of hospital beds," she added gently but very seriously, catching Nanoha's eyes for a second.

"But… I can understand that but we need to keep an eye on you, Fate," protested the blonde doctor, throwing a desperate look to her mistress, hoping to find some support in her.

"I'll come back tomorrow, I'll be very careful, and I'll make sure to contact you if anything was to happen but I truly am perfectly fine," she was trying to soften the understandably worrying request and assuage her fears when another thought came to her. "Where's Bardiche?" Was her device okay?

"You can't use it, it's too soon!" Protested the blonde woman, relenting for the leaving decision when Hayate didn't came to her rescue, crossing her arms in front of her in frustration.

"I know but I just can't leave without my device," she softly insisted, the thought only making her really uncomfortable.

"I knew you would say something like that," intervened the Lieutenant-Colonel, walking toward her with a sly smile as she retrieved the gold triangle from her uniform but she held it away and looked at her dead in the eyes, turning very serious now. "Don't activate it without my express authorization. I mean it."

"You have my word, Hayate," she answered and in hope of playing down the subject she saluted her Lieutenant-Colonel.

"Smartass," the brunette muttered under her breathe while giving her the device, half smiling and half frowning.

Her idea had backfired and the word made Fate flush a deep crimson so she averted her gaze in embarrassment as she heard some giggles in the room. But Bardiche was in her hand and she stared at him for a moment, happy to see him in perfect shape too, stroking one of his sides. After that some of them said their goodbyes and left the room one by one, leaving only Nanoha, Vivio, Hayate, Shamal and her mom to keep her company. Arf stayed too, still in her dog-girl form and wagging her tail excitedly.

"Are you really sure about this, Fate?" The teal haired woman was worrying herself at the thought of her finally conscious daughter going home so rapidly.

"I am, mom," she calmly reassured the older woman, smiling serenely to them.

To prove her point she stood up again and tested her arms, her legs, crouching down a few times, twisting from side to side. She saw the concern in their eyes but kept on testing herself and ignored the pain lashing out at her at random. It was acceptable. A faster movement ignited the tingle sensation and a sort of crackle went up in her chest, centered in her solar plexus so she paused at the foreign sensation, bringing a hand to it.

"What is it?" Asked Shamal, watching her like a hawk.

"Nothing," she deflected, deciding not to make them even more concerned than they already were, softening her features. "It's a wonder thought," she added like an afterthought.

"What?" Demanded Hayate, still feeling guilty for her rash decision.

"To feel so energized," She smiled, soothing the apprehension she didn't knew she had.

"Here," said Nanoha, depositing the bundle of clothes she came back with on her bed. At the questioning looks the clothes prompted her best friend went a bit red and didn't dare look them in the eyes. "They were in the car, just in case," she mumbled.

Fate sent them out of the room for some time, fighting with the clothes to actually put them on. Not that she had gained some weigh or anything of the sort, in fact she had lost some pounds in her coma, but because she didn't tell them the whole truth. She could move and jump and run and do about anything a healthy person could do but pain was lacing her movements, burning and sometimes stinging. It was linked to specific movements. Lifting her arms over her head and stretching her midriff was, for example, one of the worst ideas she could have because the pain was just too great. Bending down was quite bothersome too. She was not too worried about it though, after the beating she got, it would be weird to feel no pain at all. The T-shirt did give her some trouble and she gritted her teeth while putting it on.

When she was all done, she joined them in the corridor, happy to leave this room behind her. They were still giving her doubtful glances but she'd made up her mind and wouldn't back down on her decision. The air instructor was taut with emotions, not talking to anyone not even herself and it was starting to overly concern her.

* * *

So here they were, three hours and a light diner later, in their living room while Vivio was sleeping in her bedroom after the blonde spent some time reading her stories to help calm her down. Fate was sitting on the couch, following every move she was doing while pacing on the carpeted floor. Nanoha knew that her comportment was completely off and that she needed to calm down too before anything could burst in an emotional mess, or before she could say something she could regret ever saying later on. But the distress, the cheer relief and all the other emotions she had kept bottled up inside of her for the past months were too much and now that Fate was home again, they were overflowing right out of her control.

"Nanoha," gently beckoned her the enforcer as she crossed once again before the blonde.

Unable to resist the call she turned her gaze to her and a small blush colored her cheeks when she saw the sitting blonde holding a hand out for her to take. Gliding her own in the offered, smooth hand of her best friend, she felt a tug and diligently came nearer. Now standing in front of the convalescent woman, she stared in confusion in her burgundy red eyes which earned her a soft smile. Before she could speak to her, Fate maneuvered her on the side then gently made her sit on her lap sideway, a red tinge to her skin while doing it since it was a bit bold for the shy enforcer. Her own cheeks heated up at the intimate place she now occupied but she didn't try to move away and didn't comment on it.

"Come here," whispered Fate as she circled her arms around her, bringing her head to the side of the blonde's neck while reclining the both of them against the back of the couch.

Her best friend had probably seen her turmoil, all the feelings and emotions lashing out at her now that all the tension was leaving her and she was giving her a tender hug in an attempt to sooth her. The gesture, the intimate embrace and Fate's gentleness broke the brave front she had carefully constructed during all those months and she started to cry, unable to resist the messy flood anymore. Fate let her cry, murmuring that it was okay, that she knew how it felt and that she didn't have to hold it back in front of her. The gentle tone was like a balm but when the words registered to her she frowned a bit, reminded of the times she had done something rash and made her entourage worry to the point of Fate never leaving her side, failing her exams in the process.

"That's what you felt when I pushed myself too hard and ended up in the medical department," she realized with a start, her speech hindered by her sobbing.

"Yes, and when I found you in the wreckage too, up there. It was really awful," confirmed her best friend, bringing her closer to her recovering body as the memory was still painful apparently.

Nanoha didn't reply and lifted her face to seek out her eyes, bringing her hand up to Fate's face and lightly cupping her jaw to have the blonde's forehead pressing against her own. They were a bit more touchy-feely than what was normal for them but it was probably a natural reaction after the long separation. She had been so lost without the blonde at her side… Her eyes fluttered shut as she relished in the sensation of their skin touching and breathed in the blonde's familiar scent who was like a cure to her fried nerves.

"I'm not hurting you, am I?" She whispered, keeping her eyes shut and feeling herself relax in the warm embrace.

"Not at all," was Fate's gentle reassurance so, encouraged by it, she glided her hand from the blonde's jaw to the small of her neck, tangling her fingers in the blonde tresses there.

Her best friend let out a contented sigh at the unexpected gesture, not bothering to hide it, and Nanoha smiled as some peace was finally returning to her mind after the hellish months she just went through. This moment was quite intimate, and her heart was beating faster than it should in her chest, but there was no other place in the world she'd rather be. Her thoughts drifted back to Shamal's reaction to the blonde coming back home so soon and she remembered her own torn feelings, between concern and relief. She still had some apprehension on the blonde's health but she was not about to deny the cheer relief she felt at having her home again. The look Fate had given her after saying she was coming home came back to her mind and her eyes snapped open, fixing the enforcer's face as she leaned back a bit. It made the blonde open her own eyes as well, a silent question in them.

"Why did you decide to come home?" She asked, not wanting to make assumptions.

"I didn't fancy a lonely night in that bleak room," answered the blonde and she couldn't blame her, the blank room had been oppressive at times. "And I saw how you were keeping to yourself, how your eyes were loaded…" The enforcer trailed off hesitantly before softly finishing her sentence, smiling a bit. "… and I wanted to do something about it?"

Her best friend had ended her answer on an interrogative note, probably wondering if it was okay for her to want to comfort her and she smiled at her insecurities. She was as shy as she could remember her and it was still cute to see her act like this after so many years. Tired now that the brunt of her emotions was gone, she curled completely against her, slipping her auburn-haired head against the side of the blonde's neck, the hand on her nape gliding downward on her shoulder and arm to take a hold of her hand.

"Thank you, Fate-chan." She let out in a tired voice. Then she smiled at the situation, the simple joy of having her back, to feel her against her, and started to drift off. Resting against her after the whole ordeal made her realize how much she needed to sleep since her eyes were closing on their own. "Welcome home." She added in a drowsy whisper, she really was exhausted.

"I'm home, Nanoha," Murmured the blonde as the instructor started to doze off, half gone already. "Sleep, you need it." She softly instructed.

Snuggled up against her best friend, she drifted off to sleep in a second flat, the accumulated fatigue catching up with her.

* * *

When she woke up the next morning, she was slightly disoriented and it took her a handful of seconds to realize that she was in her bed, in her nightie, with a sleeping Fate breathing steadily not too far from her. She flushed slightly when this tidbit of information let her know that Fate had probably changed her but a loving smile came to her lips while she watched her best friend sleep for some time, resisting the urge to brush a bang away from her face. She didn't want to wake her up unintentionally. She felt so much better today already, having slept peacefully through the entire night.

Leaving the bed carefully as to not disturb her best friend, she grabbed some clothes and put them on quickly before padding to the door. She opened it and found a hesitant Vivio standing behind it, ready to knock but not quite doing it at the same time. Nanoha smiled at her daughter who was trying to catch a glimpse of her Fate-mama and put her index finger on her lips, preventing the little girl from talking and grabbing her hand gently to lead her downstairs. Explaining to her that her Fate-mama needed to rest plenty, she then started to cook wholeheartedly while sending her to wash and dress, putting so much joy in her task that she actually stained her shirt. Shaking her head at her eagerness, she finished to make their breakfast and let it cool in the kitchen, going back upstairs to grab another shirt.

Opening the door of their bedroom, her whole body froze in the door frame and she starred in mute amazement at her blonde best friend currently changing in her day wear. Not only was she topless but her skin was free of any scar of any sort, the glamour she was putting on herself now back and in full effect since yesterday. And the blonde was frowning at a shirt resting in her hands, having not heard the door opening or her half stepping into the room. Nanoha was rooted to the spot and a row of fluttering feelings took flight in her stomach, spreading in her chest and leaving her feeling warm and slightly dizzy from the assault. She had seen Fate naked a number of times in her life and she had always felt kind of warm and fuzzy around her blonde best friend, naked or not, for as long as she could remember. It was one of the reasons she wanted to befriend the girl in the first place long ago, when they met. The beautiful burgundy red eyes clouded with sadness being another good reason too at the time. It was one of the reasons explaining why her blonde best friend was so very special to her. But with the years the warmth and fuzziness created by Fate's presence was growing stronger and stronger, making her feel disoriented half of the time.

That's when Fate lifted her gaze toward her, finally seeing her standing there. The look of mild annoyance on her face softened instantly upon seeing her, her burgundy red eyes filling with warmth and she could do nothing but stay there, the fuzzy feeling coming back to her. It didn't even register to her that she had been caught staring.

"Nanoha," smiled her best friend, flushing lightly under her gaze and lifting a quizzical eyebrow in response to her frozen state. "Is there something wrong?"

"N-No, I came to change," she answered, forcefully kick starting herself before it could become embarrassing.

"Oh, go ahead," replied the blonde, returning her gaze on the shirt in her hand, frowning again.

"Hmm, is there something wrong with that shirt?" She hesitantly said, wondering why the blonde was glaring at it like that.

She was in front of her wardrobe, picking up a shirt of her own to replace the one she had stained when Fate let out a sigh of frustration behind her, attracting her attention once more. She turned around and frowned too when she saw that her best friend was still topless with the shirt in her hands, a slight blush of embarrassment on her cheeks.

"I… have a hard time putting it on, this movement hurts me," explained the blonde enforcer, blushing a little more at the admission. "It's embarrassing."

"Silly," she gently chided her friend with a light laugh, walking toward her while ignoring the troublesome warmth and fuzziness spreading in her again. "You don't have to be embarrassed around me," she reminded her, then the word hurt took his full meaning in her mind and she paused, giving her best friend a stern look. "You said you were perfectly fine."

"Well, I may have been a little too enthusiastic last night," the blonde admitted sheepishly.

"How much does it hurt?" She demanded to know, resisting the sudden urge to make contact with her.

"Not too bad actually but my midriff is still tender," explained the enforcer, smiling softly to let her know it was not as bad as she was imagining.

But then why was she not dressing by herself? Her best friend was probably downplaying the pain just to reassure her and it made her frown internally. Facing her, she tossed her own shirt on the bed and delicately took the shirt from her hands. Their eyes met and Fate smiled softly at her, thanking her without words.

"Can you lift your arms?" She asked, concentrating on the embarrassed flush still on her cheeks to make sure she would not look… lower.

"At shoulder height, no more, I'd like to avoid stretching my midriff," answered her friend in a whisper, still a little red but not leaving her eyes.

"Okay," she breathed out, taking a step back. "Lift them toward me," she instructed, diverting her gaze from the burgundy orbs in order to see what she was doing, gliding the shirt along her arms and taking a step forward to work on getting her head inside.

She was trying to ignore all the rest but the white expense of skin was beckoning her and it was new. Thankfully, the shirt was quite expandable and she had no trouble to settle it on her shoulders, smiling softly when Fate's hands landed on her own shoulders, squeezing them ever so slightly. She then put the shirt completely down, her fingers grazing the blonde's sides in the movement and for some reason her breath caught in her throat. And for some reason her best friend heard the catch and Fate's eyes bored into hers with electric intensity. The warmth became almost unbearable and she parted her lips a bit in hope of sending fresh air to her lungs. They stayed like this for a full minute, Fate's hands never leaving her shoulders and her own hands never releasing the shirt, knuckles grazing her sides. Those eyes were so beautiful… Feeling a blush creeping up on her cheeks at the thought, she saw the same thing happening to her friend and at the same time they released each other, both avoiding the other's eyes after that.

Well… that was intense. And really embarrassing.

To diffuse the awkwardness invading the room, she smiled and walked behind her, taking the long blonde tresses in her hands and freeing them from the shirt, taking some time to smooth and arrange them. The familiar gesture seemed to sooth them both, Fate relaxing under her touch and she smiled some more. Once she was satisfied with her hair, she was about to change herself but she felt the sudden need to hug the blonde and she decided to give into it, encircling the blonde's waist with caution and bringing them closer together. Her hands were splayed on her covered sides and her forehead was resting on the back of her head, Fate's scent invading her senses causing her to relax at last.

"N-Nanoha?" Whispered her blonde friend, a ting of confusion in her voice.

"Can I hold you just for a minute?" She whispered back, not ready to let go just yet.

"… Of course," probably unsettled by the unexpected contact, Fate's answer came a bit late but the blonde shifted and then Nanoha felt two hands gliding on her arms, keeping them in place.

It made her smile again. It was so easy to smile around the enforcer…

"I've missed you," she let out in a low voice, tightening her arms around her to convey to her the true intensity of the feeling. "You have no idea how much," she added, to make sure she would understand her behavior.

"Actually, I have a pretty good idea," softly replied her best friend, the hand on her right arm squeezing it a little, making it clear that the blonde too had been worried sick over her a couple of times in the past.

"Double that then you'll have a pretty good idea," she corrected stubbornly, burying her face in the blonde tresses.

Fate didn't say anything else, probably comprehending that she needed reassurance and she smiled when she thought to herself that the blonde was most certainly blushing. What she needed was to feel her best friend against her. Maybe she was overreacting, or maybe not, but it was what would make her at ease again and permit her to go back to her old self. Knowing that she was pushing the limit but feeling kind of daring, she dropped a kiss on the blonde locks. She had faith in her belief that Fate wouldn't think her odd for doing that, after all, they were pretty close since their childhood. However, kisses were not that frequent between them so she hoped for the best. Her best friend seemed to freeze for a second at the rare gesture, but didn't question it nor did she complain about it, just taking it in stride. Coming to the conclusion that this gesture was sort of okay between them, Nanoha made a mental note to do it more often. There was something soothing about it, and warm, as always when the blonde was involved.

"Mou, what are you doing?" complained Vivio from the door frame, getting annoyed at the long delay. "We'll be late and I'm hungry!"

Both of their heads turned to the little blonde. She was about to disengage herself from her best friend but the blonde enforcer clamped her hands down on her arms, making her stay right where she was and another smile came to her lips effortlessly. She was slightly embarrassed, even if Vivio was used to see them hug each other every now and then, but kept on hugging her at the silent command. Then she cleared her throat since Fate was leaving the explaining to her, figures, and she sent an apologetic smile to her daughter.

"I helped your Fate-mama dress correctly," she simply said, going with the absolute truth.

"Then your mama decided to hug me," added Fate in a soft teasing tone, giggling softly at the light shove she gave her for the denunciation.

"Yeah! Hug time!" exclaimed the little blonde, forgetting all about food or school at the prospect of hugging her mamas, running to them as she tried to hug them both at the same time.

It was really cute. One of the blonde enforcer's hands left its place on her arm and went to the young girl's head to caress it tenderly. The little girl was pressed against them and she closed her eyes at the feeling it gave her to have them both so close like this. Some people sometimes referred to the three of them as the Takamachi family and in this instant, she really felt like they were truly a family. Her heart gave a funny jolt at her thoughts. She then felt Fate's hand caressing her arm, the other still doing the same on her daughter's head and when the blonde spoke, her heart gave another jolt.

"I've really missed you both." The blonde's voice was thick with emotions and it was quite rare so they hugged her a little longer, simply happy to be reunited.

* * *

To be continued... Phew, never ending chapter. So, what do you think?


	11. Visitor of the Night

Hi guys! The next installment is up obviously, it's rather long again, hope you'll like it! And disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot and OC. Just to be sure.

**Guest:** we'll see about that ;)

**mosless1:** (your pseudo is not taken into account with the dots so I have to remove them, sorry about that) I have to agree with you on that!

**Nara375:** nope, the Echo doesn't change the appearance of the bearer and Fate is stubborn enough to keep on pretending everything is fine even if Nanoha knows better. As it is, Nanoha has not a lot of control over the following events and even if Fate is still weak, she is as stubborn as Nanoha lol. And strong too. Hayate knows, thanks to Shamal, that Fate is _fully_ healed. Still weak, but fully healed nonetheless which is good enough for her. She knows Fate quite well too and knows that she wouldn't stay in her hospital bed for long anyway. Fate's shyness is cute I think but sometimes, even when you're shy you have to act you know? Fate is a fun character in that regard.

**Nanofatehere:** I do try my best :)

**Sun2:** Well, at least it would be a sweet death lol. They _are_ blockheads, aren't they? I mean, we all saw the anime so yeah, blockheads. But hell, it's kind of cute too, don't you think?

Thank you all for your reviews, it really is appreciated and keeps me going. Thanks! Without further ado please, have a great read and a great day, dear readers!

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_**Two of Diamond**_

11\. Visitor of the Night

* * *

The room was far too bright, and she knew that the puppets were busying themselves around her but she was too far gone to see them. She was too far gone to care. Her body was in flames, the vicious strips of agony were as many gifts graciously given to her by her master, to train her. To perfect his masterpiece, the Hound, the one thing that could give him access to his lifetime obsession. He was the man who saved her. He was the man who destroyed her. He was the man who hated the world. He was the man with no name. The man who had enslaved hundreds upon hundreds of innocents, making them obey his command because if they didn't, there would be hell to pay.

He was the Weaver.

She was the only one resisting him. The only one that could get away with it. Not because he liked her enough to forgive her, no, it was quite the opposite. With her defying his authority every other day he despised her to the bone. But he could not kill her, he needed her too much for his grand scheme. And it was infuriating him in ways nothing else could. A sting pierced the thoughts spiraling in her head and she gazed down, seeing a blur of a girl… or a woman, dabbing something on her wounds. She was extracting another needle. The woman was blurry but it could only be one of the puppets. They were everywhere here. The Weaver, the Puppets and the Hound, what a marvelously dysfunctional family.

The Hound was to protect and to serve which included to kill and to hunt. Her purpose was to obey to her master's wishes, if not, she would take punishment. If she was to infuriate him enough, she would then be asked to kill some of the Puppets, just for him to see the turmoil in her eyes. Then she would be punished anyway. Her life tended to run in circles.

Today, her master learned that the blonde enforcer he so despised was still alive. That despite what was left of her after the lengthy fight, she still managed to survive. He was so angry that he didn't even whistle before landing the first blow on her, before carrying her to the pristine room, before cutting into her flesh and slipping poisonous words in her ear as needles were inserted in her. Twisted. Electrified. _"Will you learn to do something well for once? Do I have to keep training you or do you want me to train others while you're watching? Will you finally decide to be MY hound or do I have to carve the words on your skin?" _

He was so pissed off that he decided to push some of the needles all the way down, leaving them inside her as she screamed in agony, seeing him smile at the loved sound. He was always careful to keep her alive, sometime just on the brink of death, and heal her afterward if he felt generous enough. If not, he would simply ask his puppets to take care of it. What was infuriating her was that every beating, every torment was making her more resistant and she could now sustain a lot of pain before passing out. In his mind it was a perk, in her mind it was a flaw. More often than not she just longed for the sweet darkness, for the blissful fall into oblivion.

She was to be healed under two hours. The Weaver had given orders and she was sent to hunt again. Hunt down the woman she nearly killed already. Hunt down the woman she saved. Hunt down the woman she didn't want to kill.

He asked her to be slow this time. He wanted her to torment the Ace. The request didn't surprise her, he was a sadistic fool half of the time and he knew full well that the blonde enforcer was special to her, he was enjoying the turmoil to come. But he asked her to do it slowly and it could give her some time to find another flaw in his powers. She already found one after all, maybe the man had more than one… she just had to survive and abide to his command while searching. And not let anything happen to Fate. And not fail either. So many Puppets depended on her.

She would save them all. Then she would finally kill herself.

* * *

The city was eerily quiet tonight. Dogs were not barking, street lamps were not sizzling, cars were not invading the streets and even the bugs were nowhere to be found. The silver haired woman was in a bad shape, bandages wrapped around her arms, her whole body really, walking down the street with a gloomy face and ignoring the lingering pain. How long before her master was to discover her treachery? How much will she kill for it? How much will he hurt her again for it? Will she be able to take it when he will blow a gasket? Because she knew he will lose what little sanity he had left when he will learn the full extent of her disobedience.

Catching a movement at the other end of the street she tensed, glaring at the cat who just fell down from a tree and ran away in absolute silence. Letting herself relax again she grimaced, the pain lacing her every movement being far too distracting to her taste. And irksome. She would live, but what good would it do? Should she have taken her life that day, years ago, and be done with this madness? She knew she couldn't at the time because hope was still something she believed in. Lately, she was not so sure anymore.

"**_You're losing blood, my Lord,_**" pointed out her advice, a plain note of worry in his synthetized voice.

"I know, Aggeris, but I have to hunt," she answered, not fazed.

"**_It is not wise, my Lord,_**" the device commented.

"It can't be helped," she replied, accustomed to him giving her his opinion at random.

He stayed silent for a while, letting her seize the problem by taking a glance at her bandages. Effectively, blood was oozing on them and it made her frown, it was not polite to fight an opponent in this state but she was not the one taking the decisions. He wanted her to take her time but it was not making much sense with his previous orders and it was worrying her, what was he plotting while she was out of the manor? A random thought made her recall that some puppets were not looking at her when she departed. Something was going on in her back.

"**_Will you train her, my Lord?_**"

The absurdity of the question rooted her to the spot, in the middle of the uninteresting street, as she processed what her device just suggested to her. Aggeris was probably in need of some maintenance and was malfunctioning, causing him to say random idiocies. She had to take him to the tech sometime soon. Walking down the street again, she dismissed the very idea and went on her gloomy way, nearing her goal in the deserted neighborhood. She had to find a solution. And quickly.

"**_Will you train her, my Lord?_**" Repeated her device.

She stopped dead in her tracks again, going rigid at the very notion. Maybe he was not malfunctioning but being very serious which was even worse in her opinion. What was with him? Did he want all of them to be killed? If she was to do that… _Then two Echos would be active and even the Weaver would be in trouble… or mad enough to rip all of them into shreds, depending on his mood._ Growling at her mind, she frowned and glared at the nearest thing which happened to be a mailbox. She knew that giving the Echo to the TSAB commander in order to save the blonde had to be done, she really would have killed herself if Fate had been killed by her hands. But going as far as actually training her…

"**_You can't keep doing this alone, my Lord, and she will need your help,_**" stated her device.

"True, but I did enough already, I will not endanger her further," she said, the fear of losing the enforcer rolling in her guts like a sick snake.

"**_You want to help her, my Lord,_**" said the device, knowing it.

How could she refute that when she was presently walking in the direction of that house where Fate lived with the child and the stubborn auburn-haired woman.

"I have to hunt her, not train her," she reminded her device, still not convinced by the stupid idea.

"**_The hunt is a game, my Lord, make it useful,_**" advised her device with his two cents wisdom. "**_Your master loves games, it should be easy to lure him, my Lord,_**" added her device, hatred evident for the man he was talking about.

It… was insane. But she did decide to enter the game herself and to make a total mess of the rules. She could disguise it, make him believe she was tormenting her when in reality she was training her but would he buy it? If she was to try this, her master was to be kept in the dark long enough for him to be unable to reverse the process… then what would happen? He was the expert after all, not her. And Echoes were no toys, if the two of them were to activate fully… Aggeris was right on one point though, she was weakening. She never had more than a day at most to recuperate. The constant abuse and the partial heal were affecting her more than she cared to admit. Who will save the puppets if she was to pass away? She was quoting Rynn there. Thinking of the red headed puppet, she tried to comprehend what the woman was doing in their master's back. She had been fidgety since weeks now.

"It's too dangerous, Aggeris, there's too much at stake," she finally declared, walking again.

"**_Inaction is worse, my Lord,_**" flatly said the device.

He was so annoying when he was speaking the truth like that. That was the reason why she decided to enter the game herself and do something to stop her master. Should she break the rules again so soon after her crazy decision? Would it work? Could she pull this up and trick everyone in the process or will she just make a fool of herself? Only one thing was certain for her, she could not bear the thought of losing Fate.

"Aggeris."

"**_Phantom mode, set up,_**" announced the device, knowing her all too well.

* * *

Fate was restless again. She was honestly trying to sleep and avoid moving too much in the bed but it was not working and she could feel her annoyance raise steadily within her. Unfortunately, it was fueling the irksome feeling, making her annoyance grow in response, the whole thing leaving her no choice but to sit and leave the bed very carefully as to not disturb her best friend's rest. She had to move. Grabbing some clothes, she exited their bedroom and went downstairs silently, tiptoeing to make sure her family would not wake up in the middle of the night. Going to the kitchen she flicked the light on and started to dress, the shirt still giving her troubles. A low hiss escaped her lips.

She paced for a while in the living room but it was not doing much to ease the irksome feeling or the tension building in her. Inwardly she thought of how the Echo was implanted in her, without her consent, and that the little bugger was seriously messing up her sleeping patterns. Closing her eyes, she sighed to make the budding anger go, remembering herself that the thing did save her.

It was four in the morning and she was too restless to stay still so she slipped on her running shoes and decided to grab the keys, just going for a jog and hoping that the light workout would be able to break the feeling. To tire her a bit. Touching her neck, she made sure that Bardiche was there before leaving the house, locking the door behind her. Fresh air hit her in the face and she was glad for it, the brisk scent of the night lightening her mood.

Stretching for some minutes, she started to jog down the long road. She was nearing the end of her street when an unnatural gust of wind hit her arm.

"Block," said a voice.

Reflexively she pared the attack but not as effectively as she would have liked, the woman appearing beside her mid blow, the impact shaking her arm and making her wince in pain.

"Better than I expected," commented the silver haired woman, smiling in appreciation.

"You! Are you tracking me down?" She said, glaring at the woman who made so many of her loved ones suffer from her long absence.

There was no answer as the Reinforce lookalike was simply staring at her calmly, her expression soft somehow, throwing her off just like during their long battle. Moreover, she recoiled when she saw the bandages and the general state of the woman standing before her. The silver haired woman was wrapped in many of them and blood was partially oozing out of her body at random places, the sight made the compassionate soul in her ache. The kindness in her was trying to reach her mind and soften her own attitude but she was too wary to let it. She was alone in the streets facing an enemy far too dangerous and with a body that was not totally over the recovery yet. She had to be careful.

"Don't you know how to greet people?" The blonde asked rhetorically, annoyed at her predicament and at seeing her so soon.

"I didn't know how you would react when seeing me again, it was a test," answered the woman, her red eyes clashing with her own.

Unspoken words where in those eyes but she could not decipher them. She threw a punch at her but it was obviously a mock attack, the woman wasn't even in her black and silver barrier jacket. Wondering why this girl was after her again, she was tempted to ask the question directly but what if she didn't like the answer? What if this encounter was to go down the pipe hole and developed in a full-fledged duel? She was not sure she could handle it.

"What do you want?" She wondered aloud, her voice mostly neutral for the time being.

The woman didn't answer right away, shifting on her feet and looking around them, surveying the peacefully sleeping street. There was some sort of conflict on her face and inwardly Fate kept on asking herself what was going on with the dangerous woman.

"Many things," finally said the woman, her tone wistful. "But I am not the one deciding," she added, her eyes darkening a bit.

"If you have problems maybe we could help you," Fate offered the woman, seeing the red eyes latch on her in reaction to the proposition.

The blonde enforcer couldn't help herself, it was only natural for her to offer her help to someone obviously tormented like this woman. Enforcers were supposed to protect people and that's why she liked her job so much despite the long off-world missions. Registering the new stiffness petrifying the woman, she was a bit worried that for some reason her offer had somehow offended her since her eyes were raging with emotions. Or maybe the storm in her red eyes was just the result of a deep rumination? She was so not ready to fight anyone at the moment that she was treading very carefully. Plus, she had the absolute interdiction to use her device. All alone with this difficult woman, she didn't know how to react, one part of her wanting to reach out to the strange woman and understand her but the rational part of her mind was telling her to avoid her at all cost. The severe beating and the trauma she went through was still fresh in her body and mind. The woman did nearly kill her after all. _She also saved me_, she thought, the confusion she felt around this woman only growing with time. _Was it a ploy or her honest intention?_ Both possibilities were even more confusing.

"You can't help me and I… have orders," finally muttered the woman, avoiding her eyes.

"What are they?" she reluctantly demanded, not liking the sudden sadness overflowing those red eyes.

"I have to hunt you, Fate," answered the woman, a silent apology flickering on her expression.

"Hunt…?" What could that mean? And… Fate? She knew her name?

"It's what I do," the woman replied, adopting a guarded stance. "Aggeris," she called softly, her form fitting barrier jacket appearing instantly on her, the full body black suit trimmed with silver linings covering the bandages and the blood.

She saw the flash of pain on her face and the jerk of her arms when the silvery claws sprouted out of her hands, three on each one of her fists. Taking a step back in disbelief at the change in attitude she reached for Bardiche in slight panic.

"We don't have to fight, I could help you," she offered again, trying to avoid what was to come.

"I'm sorry, I have orders," the woman reiterated, really sad this time and her tone becoming apologetic.

Bardiche was in her hand and her own barrier jacket materialized on her, the jolt it induced in her chest distracting her for just a second as Bardiche took on his scythe form. Deploying a large barrier around the both of them, she knew that Hayate was going to chew her out for disobeying her, and so soon at that, but what else could she do? Take another beating?

"**_You shouldn't fight, Sir,_**" warned her life-time companion.

"What other choice do I have, Bardiche?" she replied softly, studying the woman standing two feet away from her in an aggressive stance.

"**_She's too dangerous, Sir, and you are not ready,_**" insisted her device.

"I don't suppose you would let me go if I ran away, would you?" she asked to the woman who was glancing at the scythe in some sort of comprehensive manner.

"No can do," said the Reinforce lookalike, shaking her head with a sad expression.

"**_Sir, do not engage,_**" the strongly worried note in her device's synthetized voice was unmistakable.

"Don't worry, Bardiche, I will engage her," said the woman, giving her a head start as she lunged for her, attacking her sensitive midriff.

It threw her off to hear the name of her device coming from that woman. The combat broke lose then, the silver haired woman attacking her with physical blows but not as fast as she remembered her. The state of panic gripping her mind at the thought of battling with her again lifted a bit as she was able to follow the rhythm imposed by her opponent, the crackle in her chest ignored for now. Understanding that the woman was not really fighting her seriously another layer of confusion settled in her mind. The cape floating behind the woman was stained with blood, which was saying something on the extend of her wounds and her current state. Blocking another blow coming to her side, she disengaged quickly, jumping back to be relatively safe as she panted a bit. They were at it for only thirty minutes or so and already she had trouble breathing, the crackle in her chest hindering it.

"Relax," advised the woman, dropping her stance for a second, letting her catch her breath.

It was so not what an enemy would do in a situation like this that Fate threw her a dumbfounded look which made the woman divert her gaze, a subtle tinge of red dusting her cheeks.

"The more you fight it, the more it will fight you," added her opponent in a statement.

It was so not what she expected when they started this fight that she stared at her a bit longer, frowning as she tried to understand what was going on. But then the woman shifted in a fighting stance again and Fate tensed, ready for anything. The next attack was a double one and she barely managed to block the second clawed fist coming at her after the first one, jumping back again. Her panting was quickly coming back to her but it was less pronounced as she let the crackle do its thing. Surprisingly enough, letting the Echo do whatever it was that it was doing inside her did help her. She frowned yet again, how did she know? Why was she giving her advices in the middle of their fight?

"You are going easy on me, why?" Her assumption seemed to catch her opponent off guard and the woman faltered a bit, about to protest.

Then her strange opponent sighed and she saw a soft glint in her eyes, her whole expression transformed to one of concern before hiding it again under a neutral mask. She was more than confused by now.

"You're not fully healed, Fate, and… I am not either," the truthful answer baffled her, the use of her name adding that much more confusion yet again.

"**_My Lord, enemies detected to the west, ETA three minutes,_**" the interruption actually made her start since the device talking was nowhere to be seen.

"That was quick, they're monitoring you," mumbled the woman, frowning lightly at the realization. "How many?" she asked her hidden device while locking her eyes with her own.

"**_Four… no, five, my Lord,_**" was the device's answer and Fate briefly wondered about the title.

"Too many for me to take at the time then," sighed the woman, dropping her fighting stance.

Fate didn't drop her own defense, not trusting this strange woman for the time being. She was not fighting her seriously but she was not talking to her openly either so the blonde enforcer was at a loss concerning the attitude she should adopt when faced with her. After all, she had to admit to herself that the silver haired woman was not very aggressive in the first place.

"Your hunt is already over?" She demanded, not knowing what to think about this encounter.

"It's quite the contrary," informed her the silver haired woman, her claw like weapons vanishing. "It is just the beginning," explained her opponent neutrally.

"Your master asked you to hunt me, correct?" She received a curt nod. "Why?" She asked, needing to understand why she was targeted in the first place.

"That would be because of me," was the cryptical answer she got.

"Do you want me dead?" She tried to clarify, utterly lost.

"Can't you guess the answer to that yourself?" Groaned the woman, annoyed by her question apparently.

Well in all honesty she could effectively guess it. If the silver haired woman really wanted her dead all she had to do was to let her die on her hospital bed. The reasoning, the simple fact that she was even standing before her tonight was clear enough to speak louder than words ever will. It was unmistakable and it made no sense at all for her. If she didn't want her dead so why was she still following her master's orders? Could it be that she had no choice over it? Better yet, how anyone could order around a woman with her magical abilities? The Reinforce lookalike was powerful enough to endanger even the Aces and more slippery than an eel so how come she was servicing someone else?

"Fate-chan!"

Turning her gaze to the four flying mages coming their way, she let out a sigh of relief at seeing Hayate and the three female knights following their master, her tense shoulders relaxing automatically at the sight.

"You!" Screamed Vita when she registered who was the attacker, charging her hammer, enraged to see the woman facing Fate.

"The cavalry has arrived," stated the woman as she lifted her head to look up at the clear night sky, her frame sagging a bit.

Frowning, Fate could see the weariness gripping her body, the tiredness fleetingly crossing on her face when she saw Zafira coming to the unsuspecting girl, silent as a shadow as he leaped in the air to pounce on her without warning. And reflexively Fate reached to the woman, not wanting to warn her exactly but wanting to prevent any more harm to come to her because she knew that she was already badly injured. But not a word came from her parted lips, too indecisive on the matter to take a decision fast enough.

"**_My Lord,_**" warned the unknown device.

"I know," still staring at the sky the woman cut her device off, not caring, letting the wolf knight barrel into her.

When the knight landed on the woman, sending them both harshly to the ground, the woman let out a pained grunt but she didn't even try to defend herself and didn't move either. What was going on with her now? She could have avoided him so why did she allow him to hurt her even further? Fate didn't understand this woman in the slightest but the tiredness she saw seconds ago could have a role to play in her demeanor. Vita had landed just in front of her, giving her a quick glance to make sure she was alright before turning around and marching toward the woman on the ground, intend on giving her a piece of her mind it would seem. Zafira had bounded out of reach, confusion making him frown in his wolf form, the sight quite strange to watch. She was about to stop Vita with a shout but the wolf-man beat her to it as Hayate, Shamal and Signum landed around her in a defensive formation.

"She reeks of blood," informed them the furry knight, jerking his head toward the utterly still woman lying down on the ground.

"Fate-chan," worriedly called her Hayate, her brunette best friend turning to her and searching her body for any injurie, Shamal doing the exact same thing next to her.

"I'm fine," she instantly reassured them, smiling softly to her best friend before bringing her eyes back on the immobile woman lying down three feet away from them, the Lieutenant-Colonel doing the same.

Vita was not moving, standing relatively close to the down woman and a strong frown plastered on her face. Blood was slowly seeping on the ground around the silver haired woman and her eyes were fixated on the inky black sky above them, devoid of any emotion. It was disturbing her because as unsettling as it could be to feel concerned for someone who almost killed you, she was feeling a healthy dose of concern at that very moment.

"**_You are too weak, my Lord, please retreat,_**" pleaded the unknown device, bringing a hollow smile on the woman's face.

"He really did a number on me," whispered in a low voice the silver haired woman, closing her eyes as her barrier jacket suddenly vanished.

Vita frowned even more and Signum scowled while Zafira growled in alert, his teeth showing as he looked around them. Hayate and Shamal both gasped while she decided to take another look at the numerous bandages she saw earlier, flinching a bit when she saw the great amount of blood oozing out of them after their farce of a fight. The sheer exhaustion lining the woman's body as she opened her eyes again and started to raise herself to her feet slowly, unsteadily, was even more pronounced now. As the woman turned away from them her silver hair shinned under the light of the moon and Fate saw her best friend take some steps toward her, calling her in a desperate attempt to make her stay. Hayate and Shamal were affected by the woman's condition, just like herself.

"Wait stop! You need healing!"

Fate threw a curious look at the Lieutenant-Colonel, wondering if she was seriously offering their supposed enemy some help with her wounds or if there was something more behind it, a hidden purpose. But the silver-haired woman had stopped walking and was looking in their direction again, an unreadable expression on her face as she studied her brunette best friend. There was not much emotions in her face and it was truly worrying her because earlier that night, the woman had been more open. Was it because they were alone at the time or because she was more comfortable talking with her?

"I don't trust you," finally said the silver haired woman, making Vita snarl in aggravation. "Besides, what good healing me would do? He'll do it again," she muttered, sending them a resigned glare.

The words hung for some seconds in the brisk night air, seemingly freezing the scene since no one said anything else after hearing them. Fate felt her blood drain from her face at the implicated meaning of this, wondering if she was tortured like this on a regular basis. Her blood turned cold in an instant, flashes of her mother's punishments assailing her and the need to help this woman fully settling in her mind. No one had to live such a life! No one! When the woman looked in her direction one last time, her face softened for a brief moment, making her look younger than she appeared to be. Fate was about to talk, to ask why she was returning to him or why she didn't want to explain everything to them but the silver hair swayed behind the woman's back as she shook her head no, preventing her from opening her mouth. She was clearly leaving them and no amount of words could make her stay longer apparently.

"Until next time, Fate," the strange sadness was in her striking red eyes again and it was as unsettling as the use of her name.

Years ago, Fate had that same look in her eyes too. The woman turned around, ignoring Hayate's last call.

"**_Phantom mode, set up,_**" chimed the synthetized voice of the unknown device.

She disappeared from their sight. Something seriously sick was going on with this woman and Fate was starting to actually worry, as stupid as it sounded. She didn't know what happened exactly tonight but the encounter was sufficiently intriguing to make her wonder. Yes, the woman was hurt pretty badly and she was not in top condition to fight her but even so, she was greatly restraining herself and not only because of her wounds. It was as confusing as she had thought earlier. She let go of her own barrier jacket then and bent down a bit, letting her nerves settle down again, breathing a lungful of fresh night air. As soon as the jacket was off the strange crackle ceased to annoy her and the tingles running in her body were almost gone. It was such a relief.

"Fate-chan," the stern voice of her best friend was tight with contained concern.

"I'm fine," she said, lifting her eyes only to see the reproach on the brunette's face. "D-Don't look at me like that, d-did you want me to take the blows without defending myself?" She added in a defensive tone, not too thrilled by the idea.

"You fought with her? She attacked you?" Blurted out the Lieutenant-Colonel in surprise, obviously not happy with the news.

"Hmm, not really," she admitted, knowing that the fight was not a real one.

"So, you attacked her?" Asked Hayate seeing as she was unintentionally misleading her by her answer.

"No of course not," she softly refuted right away. "I am in no shape to fight, and I know it. I tried to talk to her, to understand, but she was after me and engaged me in a fight," she explained as best as she could, the confusing encounter making it hard for her to explain it correctly.

"In this state?" Intervened Signum, frowning a bit.

"Yes, she was already bleeding when she appeared in front of me," she confirmed in a low whisper, frowning herself at the reminder.

"What did you mean by not really then?" Demanded Hayate, not comprehending that part.

"The fight in itself was… weird," she softly reported perplexedly, frowning a bit more as she searched for the right words. "It was not a real fight," she said, finding no other words to describe the strange encounter.

"And she talked to you?" Went on Hayate, the cogs turning in her head.

"Not much, but yes," She let out with a sigh.

"And she didn't hurt you?" Insisted the young Lieutenant-Colonel, still searching her for a wound or two.

"She didn't even land a single blow on me," she informed them softly in a perplex tone, watching as the weirdness of that fact settled in their heads.

"It's… not making much sense," pointed out Shamal, as confused as her but still searching for any wound she could hide somewhere.

"I promise to you, I have not a single scratch," she reassured her, blushing a bit at the intense inspection.

"Then it's a trap of some sort," concluded Vita, defiance plain on her face.

"What if it's not?" Asked Hayate, a wide range of emotions playing in her slate blue eyes, the strangest one being something akin to faith.

"You… have some reliance in her?" she wondered aloud, baffled by this.

Hayate didn't answer while the knights kept quiet, carefully deciding to not make any comment on the subject as her best friend was staring at her in both embarrassment and discomfort, some confusion shinning in her eyes.

"On some extent, yes. I don't know how to explain it but… Fate-chan, something is not adding up in all this, what just happened tonight just confirms it to me," reasoned her best friend. "She could have killed you many times so why did she not?" Insisted the Lieutenant-Colonel.

It was true, her pride was not large enough to delude herself on that point, this woman could have killed her many times by now, or not save her at all for that matter. But it was not enough to trust the woman. Far from it. Studying Hayate for a minute or so, she knew that she was making her nervous but kept on searching her face, wondering what was behind that dangerous, budding faith of hers. Her brunette best friend was one of the smartest persons she knew and she was quite cunning too. She was also good at reading people. It made her wonder if maybe she was the one trying to convince herself that this woman was their enemy which was totally absurd.

Hayate and the Wolkenritten escorted her back to her house. The Lieutenant-Colonel wanted her to keep Bardiche, understanding by now that she would need it more often than not but she wanted her to ring her own device every time she was on the verge of activating it. She also wanted to be informed if the silver haired woman was to show herself to her again, not minding the time of the day or of the night. The brunette was evidently rather intrigued by the woman but she was mostly truly worried for herself and it made her smile softly.

Thankfully Nanoha and Vivio were still sleeping when she entered the house one and a half hour later. The night was almost over but she was tired enough to actually fall asleep so she went back to the bedroom and stripped down her clothes before gliding in the bed.

* * *

Two weeks later, she was once again confronted to the silver haired woman but this time was a bit different. Her enemy was in her house, not too far from Vivio, and it was making her that much more nervous. Although the woman was quite talkative today and was not wearing her barrier jacket. The first thing she had said when she appeared to her was still lingering in her head. _"May I speak with you?"_ It was the first time over the past two weeks that the woman actually asked to talk, not engaging her in some mock fight. Baffling was a good word for it. They encountered each other seven times already, this one was the eighth. By now, Hayate had decided to monitor every encounter between them and everyone was aware of it, even the higher ups of the TSAB. Their mission was to uncover the truth on the woman and the man controlling her, to discover if they were part of the terrorist organization attacking the TSAB since the beginning of Fate's condition.

Her silver haired visitor was leaning on the wall behind her, her presence supposedly unknown to any other inhabitant of the house. How could she go wherever she so pleased like this was still a mystery to them but it was quite impressive nonetheless. They didn't know about this yet and for now it was not what mattered the most. They were in a spare bedroom rarely used by the family, the room itself being more of a neatly organized storage space than a bedroom.

"Your mother was beautiful, was she not?" Asked her visitor, the sudden change in conversation rattling her.

"Huh," was all that came to her mind in response.

"Sorry, I shouldn't bring her up, she was not the best mother in the world," said the woman, as if recalling something.

Fate looked at her, slightly uncomfortable with the topic and the speaker.

"How do you know that?" She softly demanded to know, frowning lightly.

"I didn't suffer at the hands of a parent so I forget sometimes how broken they can be too," calmly apologized the woman, her neutrality betrayed by the sadness in her eyes. "But I can relate in part, you know? I was declared a failure too."

Flinching at the sore subject, the blonde enforcer just tried to dissimulate it and said nothing, allowing her to continue if she wanted to. A sympathetic look, fleeting but real, came to the woman's features and it was a strange sight to witness on someone who was constantly keeping her face as blank as possible… well, tried anyway.

"When he found me, he decided to make a weapon out of me. He broke me down to remodel me. He wanted me to take down any mage the TSAB could send after him so, in order to do that, he fed me with tons of recordings. On you, on your friends, on others too, anything he could find really. I had to study it, to the point of knowing it by heart."

Fate was not pleased to learn of that because it meant the girl had a huge advantage on a lot of them. Now that she thought about it, it was also explaining how she knew all of their name's and how she could fight them so efficiently that fateful day. She knew that Hayate and whoever was with her today was listening intently to this so she decided to pry a little. Not trusting the woman yet but willing to speak with her at least. But then again, if this dangerous woman knew them so well, why were they still breathing? Why did she save her? It was really hard to imagine anything other than a deceit behind her strange behavior. The woman seemed plagued with somber memories and as the silence stretched itself out between them her expression seemed to darken even more.

"What did he do to you, exactly?" She softly asked, tone as neutral as possible.

"Don't ask if you don't want to know the answer," rebuffed quietly the woman, looking elsewhere.

"I do want to know," asserted the blonde mage, frowning a little at the very closed off attitude her question had brought up in the woman.

Deep down she was too kind and too gentle to resent the woman to the point of not wanting to know her reasons. She often wondered why the Reinforce lookalike saved her in the end, why she was keeping on mock fighting her, why she was bothering with all this. Her orders were to hunt her, not play with her. And how someone could withstand the pain like this woman was apparently able to? One had to suffer greatly to gain a high tolerance to the pain, she had learned that by experience.

"I'm not so sure of it, Fate," the way she was saying her name was always disturbing the enforcer, the slightest tinge of fondness in it was rather odd. "All I will say to you is that I was a tool." She paused, then added with a frown. "I still am."

It strung a chord in her, reminiscent of her young days, and she was unable to curb her own reaction.

"That's not true!" She couldn't help but contradict her indignantly, not liking her way of thinking and the flash of self-depreciation in her eyes, surprisingly enough.

There was a short pause, the woman taking in her frown and her rebellious reaction at the notion she just exposed, a very thin smile curving her lips. Fate didn't comment on her indignant shout though as she felt her cheeks heating up under her gaze, embarrassed by her own outburst.

"He wants to use me against the TSAB among other things, and I know some of the TSAB officers are wondering if they could use me against their own enemies… Where's the difference? I am a tool." Reasoned the woman, fatalism and resignation clear in her shrug.

That caught the blonde completely off guard and she knew that it had probably caught off guard any TSAB agent listening to their conversation too. Redirecting her attention on the woman, she saw her leaving the wall and coming closer, stopping only a foot away from her and reaching a hand to touch her arm before Fate could retract it. She was scowling at the scars on the blonde's skin and Fate realized that she unconsciously let go of her glamour in her unexpected outburst. It was not happening often and it was a clear sign of her overwhelming anxiety. She put it back up hastily, uncomfortable without it. Surprisingly the unwanted visitor faltered after they disappeared, staring at her in the eyes as sadness filled the eyes that were almost identical to hers. It made her feel off balance.

"I really was sorry you know, back then. I did everything I could to keep you alive but your darn friends… they took so long to come," sighed the woman, shaking her head at the memory.

Her breath caught in her throat because she was so stunned that she completely forgot to release it for a second.

"What do you mean?" She let out, flabbergasted.

"On that planet where we lured you, my orders were to kill you, not to play with you. I got into big trouble for postponing it so much," confessed the woman with a grimace.

"You did that on purpose?" Fate's whisper was skeptical, but she still could hear Shamal ranting about the strangeness of her wounds.

"Why not? I'm not some blood crazed villainess who kills for pleasure," the woman said, a bit offended at the very idea that anyone could think that of her. How baffling indeed. "I carefully avoided any fatal injuries, made a show of our fight to content him, to please him and to make sure he would forget at least for a time that I had to kill you. Thankfully, it worked," she added, explaining further before nodding in self-satisfaction.

The silver haired woman was staring at her with a very serious expression, convinced of her words and making it clear she was speaking the supposed truth but Fate was too confused to register it, let alone ponder on it.

"… You did it on purpose…" Slowly repeated the blonde mage, eyes widening as the very idea sank in her mind, recalling the fight.

She could be lying of course but the wounds could speak for themselves and now, hearing this, it actually made sense. Shamal's intuition was correct all along. She was starting to doubt her defiance for the silver haired woman and it made her panic slightly because it was too soon, too dangerous but… If all of this was the truth…

"You can't do that by accident," simply reasoned the woman, shrugging a bit and tilting her head on the side in response to her shocked face.

"And you cried…" Recalled Fate as she shot a curious look at her, leaving the earth-shaking revelations on the side for now, still puzzled by the weird memory.

Silence reigned for a good four minutes, the woman facing her diverting her gaze and contemplating the peaceful city outside the window. Fate was trying to read her expression but she didn't know the stranger all that well and her tentative went to waste. Each of their encounter was more destabilizing than the previous one and the woman standing before her was a walking mystery.

"… I… did," the woman's quiet admission was reluctant, at best.

The strange silver haired woman who hadn't disclosed her name yet was getting nervous, fidgeting where she stood awkwardly in the middle of the room and Fate could tell. She was avoiding her eyes too, it was evident.

"Why?" Fate pressed further, genuine curiosity in her tone as this disturbing mystery was weighing on her mind ever since.

"You're awfully curious tonight," remarqued the woman, wary of all the questions thrown at her in so short a time.

Like a deer caught in the headlights, Fate felt that she was being assessed under that piercing red stare and she was racking her mind for a good enough reason as to why she was asking so many questions tonight as opposed to the previous nights. Sadly, she found none, her stressing mind failing her as the woman took a step back, defiance radiating off of her body. Static erupted in the room and the silver haired woman whipped her head toward its source while Fate silently thanked Hayate for the intervention. Her best friend was good with words, she should be able to ease the tense silence.

"We all are," said her best friend through a speaker somewhere on her left.

A betrayed look flashed on the woman's features and she actually growled low, a hurt expression taking over her features after the first one somehow. She was not prepared to see those feelings on the woman's face so she recoiled a bit, stunned. Her supposed enemy's taught body tensed, reminiscent of a cornered animal ready to flee. While the red eyed woman was surveying the room to spot the speaker, glancing here and there but seeing nothing, she finally turned back to the blonde and Fate felt a tad guilty under her accusing glare.

"You set me up?" She was definitely hurt by the little setup and for some reason Fate felt her chest constrict in discomfort.

"Wait, they just wanted to hear it for themselves," she started to explain but the silver haired woman was not having it.

"You have no idea of how those encounters with you could make an appalling amount of damage! If he was to learn about this, he would rip me apart and then stick the pieces back together just for the sake of doing it a second time!"

The distressed woman paused in her rant, riled up and as it was, Fate could understand what it felt like to be a trapped animal so she didn't interrupt or said otherwise. The distress radiating off of the strange woman was so not a fluke that Fate started to feel guilty.

"I take big risks just to talk with you and that's how you handle it…" Sighed the woman, her head going down in… sadness? Disappointment? It was hard to tell but it racked at her chest somehow, guilt swelling even more in her.

And even if it was a confusing turn of event, she was feeling guiltier by the minute to be honest so she made an effort to not flush in embarrassment. The crackle in her chest was reacting though, growing stronger with each passing minute. What they knew of her master was indeed quite frightening after all. The blonde enforcer needed to make this woman understand that she was safe with them, that they could protect her from him, but she was quite stubborn and had little to no faith in the TSAB. Pretty much like the TSAB had little to no faith in her. However, the silver haired woman was, according to Hayate, in need of some serious help. And after the first few encounters the blonde enforcer tended to agree with her.

"Wait…" She stammered, trying to placate her, frantically searching what she could possibly say to reassure her.

"If he finds out, he will not simply kill me," said the elusive woman, more distressed as she mentioned him yet again. "He will make my life a never-ending agony."

She was pale at that moment, a shadow darkening her eyes and Fate had to wonder what exactly this woman went through. And for how long. She could remember the heated white threads in her memory and knew that this, at least, was very painful. Even if she didn't know how it worked it was a pretty nasty trick. And that day when she was wrapped up in bandages, bleeding all over herself, what did he do to her? What else had he done to her?

"You are stronger than him," Fate tried to reassure her while frowning, believing what she just said because no one could possibly beat this woman… right?

The skittish woman who was supposedly an enemy and could become an ally in the long run let out a heavy sigh at her remark, shaking her head in disbelief as if Fate was missing a crucial information to really understand the situation. And she probably was.

"Power is not the problem, control is all he is about," coldly stated the woman, gritting her teeth at the admission.

The blonde, or any of the others, hadn't thought of that possibility before. The man had to have some sort of control over his minions, a stalling power depriving them of their freedom. The silver haired woman made her way to the window and Fate took a step in her direction, coming back to the situation at hand when she registered the movement. Although when she saw her disturbing ruby red eyes and the hurt floating in them, she inwardly flinched and halted her steps.

"We will not endanger you," said Hayate from the speaker, breaking the tension between them. "We would like you to believe that."

"Oh yeah?" The woman threw at the room in a sarcastic tone. "Real convincing! Like you never attacked me the first chance you got."

Hayate didn't say anything more and Fate relented a bit, coming to the realization that this woman who had saved her for some strange reason was not ready to join them. She had a hard time trusting them just as much as they had a hard time trusting her. They were all cautious and it was more than expected after their first encounter. But attacked her? Who was foolish enough to attack the deadly woman and more importantly, did they survive? And when did it happen? Her mom didn't mention this part to her so, maybe she was not there when it happened?

"Oh, and break news: you already did!" Added the woman in a dark snarl, which made the enforcer lift a questioning brow at her. When?

Sending a last, betrayed glare at the blonde mage, she opened the window just as Nanoha was barging into the room with the subtlety of an enraged bull. Well, if she had doubts on their intentions before the dramatic entrance of her best friend, she certainly didn't have any left, thought Fate as the woman's expression became distant. When Nanoha spotted the silver haired woman she reached for Raising Heart, ready to transform if need be but the skittish woman spoke softly before she had a chance to touch it.

"Aggeris."

The blond enforcer moved forward and reached for her but it was useless, the synthetic voice answering the soft order immediately.

"**_Phantom mode, set up_**."

Nanoha demanded her to stay in a rushed manner but the Reinforce lookalike disappeared just as she extended her hand to her, mimicking Fate's previous gesture.

"Wait!" Screamed Nanoha after her, frustrated to see her leave them with more questions than answers once again.

This encounter was definitely over then and it was frustrating her to realize they didn't know much more about this woman compared to before. The Echo acted up a bit in her chest and she made sure to keep her frustration to a minimum, not needing the added complication at the moment.

"Real smooth everyone," mumbled Fate while taking her forehead in a hand to start massaging her pulsing temples.

"Hey! You were not exactly perfect either," protested Hayate over the speaker, miffed by the soft accusing tone. "She is more evasive than an actual ghost," grumbled the Lieutenant-Colonel.

"Yes, I wasn't and I warned you about the evasiveness," replied calmly the blonde enforcer, turning to the camera in the corner of the room. "So… what do you think?"

There was a short pause and she knew that her brunette best friend was thinking at the moment so she threw a questioning glance at Nanoha, asking her silently the exact same question. The Ace of Ace was about to talk when the static noise erupted in the spare room.

"I still think she could swap sides with enough patience but the man behind her is a serious problem," declared Hayate, slightly dejected by her own conclusion.

Fate only nodded, acknowledging her words before frowning a bit. This mysterious man was indeed a big problem.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to barge in like that but…" Nanoha trailed off with an embarrassed blush when Fate looked up at her. "When I saw her getting close to the window, I made a run for it to try and stop her," she finished in an apologetic tone.

Static cut her off before she could say anything.

"Well, what's done is done, we'll have to do better next time," answered Hayate over the speaker. "Alright everyone, mission complete, you can leave the area," announced the Lieutenant-Colonel in her bossy tone, making it clear for everyone that they had to leave the two Aces alone now.

Still mulling over this very strange encounter, Fate was looking outside the window, wondering if the woman was already back with her master yet and what he could possibly do to her in the hours to come. For all the power and confidence this woman could project, she was in danger, she was convinced of that by now. _"Your mother was beautiful, was she not?"_ If this woman knew so much about her, why did she decide to bring up such a hurtful subject? Did she try to get a specific reaction out of her? Maybe not, she was being cautious and soft spoken at the time.

"Fate-chan?" Called her best friend, coming closer to her and pulling her out of her silent musings. "What is it?" Gently asked Nanoha when she sent her a pensive look.

"I was just thinking about what she told us," she reassured her friend with a wane smile. "She knows a lot about our officers, some other agents too and even Hayate apparently. Wherever they found those recordings, they have an advantage on us. And…" She trailed off, wondering if Hayate was still listening on their conversation but as no interruption came after a while, she assumed the Lieutenant-Colonel had left the station. "I was wondering why she talked about my mother, what was her interest in talking about her. It… confuses me." She admitted, frowning slightly.

"Yes, it was confusing," agreed the air instructor, throwing a look at the window, her sky-blue eyes roaming the night. "I do believe what she said though," murmured the auburn-haired woman with a little frown after a minute of silence.

Fate lifted her eyes to stare at her profile. She was deep in thoughts and despite herself she felt a small smile brush her lips at the sight because her best friend was obviously mulling over the encounter too. She let it happen without interrupting them and she even allowed her house to be monitored for the night despite Vivio's presence. When she had learned about the encounters Nanoha had been livid at first, screaming on them and telling them how foolish they were to have left her in the dark for so long, how stupid they were to allow the encounters in the first place. She was speaking out of worry and fear at the time and it had been a sight to behold, really. Hayate had been flinching the whole time. But tonight, they knew she would come here and Nanoha agreed to let it happen at the condition that she would be just behind the door the whole time and now… She was obviously troubled.

This encounter had left her unbalanced once again and Fate didn't speak right away. Her best friend presence was enough to sooth her back to a state of calm and she was glad she came in the room when she did, even if it pushed the woman away.

"About?" The blonde enforcer finally picked up the conversation, encouraging her to continue.

"Avoiding any critical injury, she did it on purpose, Shamal rambled too many times about that for it to be a coincidence," Nanoha reluctantly admitted, frowning at the city as the words left her lips.

Fate didn't say anything else, thinking about it as she kept her eyes trained on her best friend. It was something to have a doctor admit that injuries were not lethal ones and questioning it. It was another thing entirely to hear it from the air instructor when she could still remember vividly how much she cried in her arms and how much anguish she said she went through during her extended coma. She had to ponder then. If Nanoha was able to admit that what they heard was the baffling truth, was she not supposed to admit it too?

Glancing outside the window as well, she let her eyes roam over the restricted view she could see from her position, mulling the whole encounter over. _"I was declared a failure too."_ This part had made her flinch when she said it, landing a little too close to one of her weak spots to her taste. _"He broke me all over again to remodel me."_ What did she mean by that? Did she really want to know the answer to this or would she be better off not ever knowing? _"He fed me with tons of recordings."_ How many exactly? And what were the settings in those recordings? How many of them the silver haired woman knew so well when themselves didn't know a thing about her? _"I still am."_ A tool. _"Where's the difference?"_ Casting a guilty glance at the camera in the corner of the room and at the speaker standing on a loaded shelf, she sighed. It was bound to make her flee but Hayate had insisted on it and she couldn't oppose the Lieutenant-Colonel on the matter. _"You can't do that by accident."_ According to Shamal it was virtually impossible, yes. _"… I… did."_ Why? Why was she crying that day? Will she ever discover that part of the story?

She needed time to process all of this, it was too much in too short a time. And if Nanoha's pensive expression was anything to go by, her best friend needed to reflect on what they heard tonight as well.

* * *

To be continued...


	12. Training and Fright

Hello there! Time to update this fanfic! I try to avoid any error in grammar and such but please keep in mind that english is not my language so don't be too harsh on me if you find some. (_**Edit:**_ I did find some errors and I corrected them, editing the chapter once again, knowing how perturbing errors can be when reading something. For those of you who read the previous version, my apologies for the changes but I can't see my errors and do nothing about it. Now I can work on the next chapter.)

**Blaze2121**: Hi, thank you for your review and yes, I needed to accelerate a bit otherwise I could spend many chapters on building the characters and filling the story with many little details but well, the plot needs to go forward. I do try to put an emphasis on the emotions, pleased to do it correctly at least. Good read to you!

**Nara375**: Hi. She doesn't trust Fate or anybody else but she do care for Fate so it is complicated for her to just leave it at that. She can't. For the Reinforce lookalike's identity you'll see and for the monster you are correct, it is not Scaglietti. He's in jail. For now the TSAB is not corrupted, I don't know if I'll go there, the whole corrupted politicians is done already and it tends to bore me, I admit. We'll see. Take care Nara.

**Sun2**: Hi! Yeah, a bit serious and drama-like. Thank you Sun.

Reviews are not mandatory but they are very much appreciated, I love to know what you think about all of this.

Have a good read and a good day, dear readers! :)

* * *

_**Two of Diamond**_

12\. Training and Fright

* * *

The strange encounters with the silver haired woman had decreased after that night but they hadn't stopped like she had feared. The strange woman reappeared last just two days ago, going at her in one of her mock fight again and this time, some of the others were there to see it for themselves. When she vanished, the woman hadn't said much but somehow, Fate felt like their strange relationship was rekindled, kind of.

Hayate had been insisting for days on end and after many refusals and as many arguments between them, Fate had finally relented and accepted to have her first real combat training since she left the medical wing of the TSAB. All the medics, Shamal included, had given their permission for her to use Bardiche in an all-out training. She was clear to fight again and as much as her body ached from the mock fights, she still felt the urge to act, the will to fight again and again because this was what she was made of. She was Fate T. Harlaown, the top enforcer of the TSAB and the Ace of the Navy. She was a softie at heart, kind, gentle, but at the same time she was the lightning, fast, fierce and unforgiving. For the longest time, even as a child, she had always felt pride in her abilities because thanks to them she was capable of protecting the ones she cared for. It was not given to everyone and she was very aware of that fact so yes, she was proud of her fighting abilities and always sought out new ways to improve. And she couldn't wait to _really_ fight again.

Walking in her enforcer uniform, she was getting a lot of attention from every person who happened to cross her path on her way to the training field and, to be honest, it was overwhelming her. Her embarrassment when faced with strangers' solicitude was quite evident and was showing on her cheeks. It felt odd, sometimes, to be here and live this life when she could remember a time where she was alone and suffering, just like the elusive woman.

Halting this train of thoughts before it got too far and started to shadow her eyes, she went on, marching on the cemented path leading her to the training field. The short trip brought a discreet smile to her lips. The exhilaration and anticipation she always felt right before a fight was coursing through her veins, training or not. Her body was still recovering, she could feel the remnant of the pain, even if Shamal had worked wonders on her, consuming her energy to make sure everything would be fine with her. They were all so attentive to her every move that it was both comforting and overwhelming but she couldn't blame them for it, she did scare them. Very much so.

She smiled more visibly when another thought went through her mind. She was not alone anymore… and it was warming her heart.

The training field entered in her line of sight but some people were standing outside, seemingly waiting. When she saw Hayate and the Wolkenritten, she stopped in the middle of the path as someone walked by her, giving her a curious look while she was wondering what they were doing here exactly. Then she spotted Nanoha talking with Teana and she started to frown. What were they doing here? Overcoming the initial surprise, she made her way to the field and gave a very pointed look to the Lieutenant-Colonel who was grinning since she saw her appear. Nanoha had shown her a racoon once, back on earth, and that grin was exactly what a racoon would look like while smiling.

Whatever the brunette was doing here, this grin was absolutely not good.

"May I ask, what's going on?" She demanded to know, her tone neutral but one of her eyebrows going up in interrogation.

"Well, we were informed that a certain enforcer was about to train on the field and as a curious passerby, I decided to take a look," answered her brunette best friend impishly.

She knew there must be something else to it. Probably something related to the strange gem she could feel on her solar plexus. Since she had woken up, the Echo in her chest was doing funny things to her but she never mentioned it to anyone, thinking that her months of recovery were bound to leave some traces and that the little thing was still a foreign addition to her body. The discomfort was probably normal since she still needed to… adjust to it. Playing along Hayate's behavior as to not alert any of them, she smiled.

"Now I feel flattered," she said, her cheeks heating up a little because the attention was kind of embarrassing.

"Show us what you got, Testarossa." Spoke Signum, her stone face expression sporting the beginning of a smile.

She didn't answer to her, not trusting her voice to express exactly what she was feeling at the moment. In fact, her emotions were in a bit of a mess so covering for it she reached her hand to get Bardiche. Nodding to Nanoha, who was piercing her with her stare to try and detect any of the discomfort she might feel, Fate let a calm expression relax her face, aiming to soothe her fears. After some hesitation, her best friend entered the commands and the screens went up before her eyes. The field was set up in seconds, robots materializing as she made some distance with the little group of onlookers. She was about to fly again, something she didn't do in quite some time since her encounters with the silver haired woman were mostly on the ground, and she couldn't wait to soar in the sky, to let the wind whistle in her ears.

"Bardiche."

"**_Yes, Sir._**"

Her default barrier jacket covered her frame and Bardiche had adopted the form of her usual scythe, the weight of its metal body grounding her. She let her gaze linger on the yellow crystal, secretly relieved to see it in top condition after the beating they both went through.

"Fate-chan?" Called Nanoha's voice next to her, a little concerned by her immobility.

Ah, she had forgotten about her audience. It was really embarrassing to have them all here to watch her first real training but she had no power over it, she couldn't make them leave if they wanted to watch and she couldn't voice her own preference when they so obviously wanted to see.

"I'm alright, Nanoha," she gently assured her best friend, giving her a small smile.

She then turned and flew high above them, stopping and flipping Bardiche before her a few times, she took some minutes to give it another look. The amount of energy flowing from her chest was moderate and after many encounters with the silver haired woman, she was getting better at handling it but she couldn't comprehend what it really was or how to fully control it. Letting the odd sensation recess to the back of her mind, she flew toward the field and searched for her first targets, discovering them on a rooftop to her left. Positioning herself she attacked the five robots with a sense of familiarity, doing it on instinct.

"**_Plasma Lancer_**," chimed Bardiche.

Five lightning gold arrowheads of magical power appeared around her, each in the middle of a circle.

"Fire."

At the soft-spoken command, the five projectiles darted to the robots shooting at her. She sidestepped the weak attacks with ease but an uncomfortable feeling was constricting her chest after the spell, diverting her from the mock battle. The five projectiles crashed to the rooftop with a stronger explosion than what she was accustomed to, a blast of wind sweeping across the training area and barreling from the cloud of dust a last shot came at her. She paid no attention to it whatsoever as it hit her in the right shoulder. She had felt the sting but she dismissed it as soon as it came, more concerned with the troublesome tingle crackling between her breasts. She frowned. This never happened in her encounters with the Reinforce lookalike.

A far call reminded her that she still had an audience and that for the time being, she should try to ignore the weird sensation in her chest and just go on with her training.

Whirling around, her white cape floating behind her, she caught sight of a larger target, a huge robot, blue and silver in color. It had five lenses on its front, three of them were lasers and the others were cameras. She knew that this one had a thick shield, she had fought those enemies before and knew they could fire at long distance. Seeing the laser beams lock on her, she decided to drop, letting herself pummel to the ground. It was a dangerous trick to perform in combat but it was quite effective to evade an incoming doom and she had faith in her flying abilities.

She heard some confused shouts but didn't take the time to address them. Time was of the essence if she wanted to neutralize the big pile of metal efficiently. The wind was rushing in her ears, the ground was coming fast at her and she couldn't help but smile, flipping her body and changing direction in a flash. She glanced at Bardiche again and a fleeting image of its broken state after hours of fighting against the strange woman.

"I'm glad to see you well," she said to her device.

Bardiche shimmed, a spark making it glint. "**_Likewise, Sir._**"

It made her smile and she lowered herself to the ground, almost brushing against it. Spotting a piece of metal angled perfectly and large enough to support her momentum, she flew to it, landed and gave an impulse that made her shot for the sky like a living rocket. Her body protested at the harsh treatment, a tremor of pain coursing through her, but she ignored it for the time being. A screen appeared to her left, a miffed Nanoha frowning at her.

"What are you doing, Fate-chan?" Asked her best friend, worry and irritation evident in her tone.

"Training," she answered, confused, not understanding her disapprobation.

She shifted in the air to avoid crashing into a building and went in the next one, navigating in the collapsed ruin with apparent ease although she was concentrating on this demonstration to let them see that she was perfectly fine and nothing would go wrong.

"You can't go all out, you could hurt yourself," lightly reprimanded the instructor, her worries easing a bit at seeing her fly so well.

"She's right, don't push yourself," agreed Shamal in the background.

"Enough with the mother hen attitude, let her train already," intervened Hayate, putting an end to the call.

The screen blinked off and she made a turn, glancing upward to assert the opening right above her. She came to an abrupt stop, still feeling the crackle in her chest. To be totally honest it was distracting her. She never felt it with such intensity before. She was tempted to contact Nanoha or Hayate to ask them if they knew what it could possibly mean but she refrained, not wanting to worry them uselessly if they had no answer for her. The TSAB knew very little of the Echoes, even Yuuno was at a loss on the subject. She had been pondering long enough in the crumbled building, if she stayed here much longer, her audience might worry so she jumped and flew right out of the hole, surging in the sky like a black and white bullet. Fleetingly, she asked herself why she was training on the field, which was not much of a challenge for an Ace. She would have preferred a fight against one of the knights or even Nanoha but seeing as the crackle in her chest was intensifying it was probably better like this. It made her frown though as she flew over a group of robots. In the mock battles against the strange woman, they never used spells nor went up in the sky for too long… was it the reason why?

Taking a sharp turn to the right, she came back to the big one and the laser beams came back on her body, tracking her as she evaded a lot of shots coming from it and the little ones on her left. The big one was charging a more powerful attack. Annoyed by the lesser robots showering her with shots, she gripped Bardiche more forcefully, pointing her device at them.

"**_Photon Lancer._**" Obeyed the scythe.

Six projectiles appeared all around her and she stared at the little flock of robots waiting to be blown by her.

"Fire."

The arrowhead like projectiles shot toward their targets and the resulting explosion surprised her again, being more powerful than she could remember. The crackle in her chest was more pronounced and it was now almost burning her. She heard a warning shout and turned to the big robot, lifting an eyebrow at the massive beam it was launching at her. Lifting her free hand, she casted her Defender Plus spell, the protection defending a wide area around her, wider than she intended and that she thought possible. The crackle erupted in her chest, menacing to distract her but she kept defending herself as the large beam crashed on her protection. She was unscathed of course but she knew now that something was wrong with the Echo, somehow it was strengthening her magic but not reacting well to it if this crackle was anything to go by.

"Bardiche, what's going on?"

"**_You are adjusting, Sir,_**" answered the device.

"Adjusting?" she demanded, even more perplexed now.

"**_An attack is imminent, Sir,_**" warned the synthetic voice, the gold crystal glinting.

She let herself drop from the sky again, her frown accentuating as she tried to comprehend what her device had meant by this word. Flipping in her fall, she went straight for the annoying robot and planned on cutting through it.

"**_Zamber form,_**" responded Bardiche, already transforming.

The large, gold sword she was now gripping in her hands was pulsing with energy regularly, flashing every second and if she hadn't been so intent on cutting the big robot in half she would have noticed before delivering the blow. As it was, she barreled to the big machine, took a swing and slayed her mighty sword in the middle of it, crashing its shield and slicing down right through it. When her sword touched the ground, a large circle extended on it and thunder roared loudly in the clear blue sky, giving her just enough time to see the dark magical clouds forming above them. Then three large lightning bolts descended on the training field, one where her sword had landed while the other two came crashing down in her back, one to the left and one to the right, blasting the entire area with a mighty explosion. The violent wind flipped her cloak angrily, dust flying everywhere while her ears were ringing. The crackle in her chest was almost insufferable now, the burn getting stronger.

Looking around her, she saw that what was a built area was now completely flat as some boulders kept on smoking. Her head was spinning and she was feeling weak but she shot to the sky anyway. She had to make sure that attack didn't hurt anyone since she didn't know its range had somehow changed. High enough, she could see her audience looking at her in pure astonishment. It would have been funny if not for the feeling in her chest. Something lashed at her back and she grimaced, wondering what was going on when a string of gold energy left her body as the crackle intensified. Then a multitude of golden wisps of energy surged from her and her chest erupted in a burning volcano. Her eyes shot wide open and she let out a surprised scream, losing her ability to fly. The pain was so strong that she lost consciousness right when she heard someone screaming her name.

* * *

Nanoha had made sure to follow all of her best friend's moves on her monitor, not losing her once. They all had seen the pauses the blonde enforcer had taken during the training, sometime in dangerous situations, and she had been unable to restrain on contacting her. Now that Hayate had cut the call, she was glaring at her friend, not pleased with her. She knew that the Lieutenant Colonel wanted to see what the Echo they had implanted in Fate would do in a battle situation that's why she had pestered the blonde enforcer with a real training for days on end. And she knew that she wanted to know out of concern and not out of some misplaced curiosity. But still, Nanoha was anxious and the powerful blast her Photon Lancer was producing only added to that feeling.

Fate dropped from the sky again and like earlier her heart missed a beat.

The change in direction in her best friend flight was brutal but impressive as she went straight to the robot, Bardiche transforming in its Zamber form. The massive sword was as imposing as always but it was flashing, which it never did before.

"What's that?" Pointed Signum, frowning.

"No idea," she responded, not liking this, entering a command to zoom.

Fate made a swinging motion and sliced down the big training robot in half with ease.

"She's showing off," mumbled Vita, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Maybe she is," replied Shamal in anxiety. "But she shouldn't."

A gold circle of magic extended itself under the big sword of her best friend and she tensed in worry.

"Wha…" Vita never got the chance to finish.

A very loud thundering sound echoed all around the city, making all of them jump in fright, and they lifted their eyes to the sky as dark, angry clouds gathered above the training field. Flashes of gold light were brightening the clouds sporadically when three large lightning bolts furiously descended on the training field, the resounding sound they produced when they landed making Nanoha pale in cheer dread. She took a step back, reeling from the raw power Fate just displayed and looked at the monitor to see her best friend standing in the middle of a newly created no man's land half the size of the training field.

"Holy…" Whispered Hayate, bewildered.

Fate shot for the sky and Nanoha left the screen to stare directly at her blonde best friend, eyes a little wide still. People were running toward the training field, searching for the source of the ruckus.

She saw it then, the grimace on Fate's face. The bolt of gold energy. And she heard her scream of pain even from this distance. A chill ran down her spin when the blonde started to free fall from so high in the sky and she ran.

"Fate-chan!"

Raging Heart materialized in her hand and she took flight at maximum speed.

"**_Flash move,_**" reacted Raging Heart to her master's wish.

In her panic she simply didn't think. She reached Fate in a second flat and caught her in her arms, whimpering when the wisps tore at her. Ignoring the lash out, she kept her hold on her limp best friend and tried to maneuver them safely to the ground. When they landed, rather brutally, she let go of her unconscious friend, rolled away from the wisps and gasped in blatant pain, closing her eyes in hope it could somehow alleviate the burning agony.

"Nanoha-chan!"

Hayate and her knights, minus Zafira, were running towards her and she stayed on the ground, not daring to move an inch. She was bleeding, she could feel it and her head was spinning, probably in reaction of the blood loss and because of the dangerous maneuver she just executed. Was it the Echo? Those wisps were the same than that day when the woman calibrated Fate and saved her. Damn, it was so painful, how did this woman manage to stay in them for so long that day? Shamal was kneeling before her, her hand stroking her cheek and a reassuring smile coming to her lips when she opened her eyes to look at her. The green clad doctor worked her magic on her and the pain receded slowly, her wounds mending progressively. Vita was fuming behind the concentrating doctor, casting an accusing glare on her.

"Didn't you see the damn wisps? Why did you caught her like that when we could have secured her landing?!" Vita angrily berated her, masking her concern behind her anger.

"Vita-chan," softly called Hayate, preventing the short-tempered woman from saying something she could regret later.

The knight of the hammer rounded on her master, also angry at her.

"Why did you put this thing in her? Why the hell do you trust that culprit? It could kill her!" Fumed the short woman, ready to say more.

"Vita!" Curtly snapped Signum, her brows furrowed.

Nanoha was feeling better but the lack of words behind her and the wounded look on Shamal's face told her that she should turn around and see what was going on. Grunting, she turned, apologizing to the doctor under her breath and discovered a still fuming Vita standing beside Fate, toe to toe with a very distressed Hayate. Her best friend was looking at the blonde enforcer with a guilty expression, very much worried for their best friend and clearly berating herself for it all. Signum was at her master's side, watching over the fallen blonde with a glint of concern in her eyes. Nanoha quickly threw a look at the unconscious blonde, seeing the gold wisps lazily revolving around her she worried too but decided to reassure Hayate first. The brunette needed her support immediately.

Sitting up where she was with Shamal's reluctant help, she tried to ignore her own incertitude about the Echo and addressed her best friend.

"It's okay, Hayate," she softly spoke. "I know you did it for the right reasons."

Tears welled up in the young Lieutenant-Colonel's eyes while Teana stayed silent, her gaze fixated on her superior's limp form. Faced with her master's anguish Vita broke out of the angry haze clouding her judgment and she touched her arm in remorse. Hayate broke down and hugged her, falling to the floor in her guilt-ridden anguish, Vita following her down with regretful eyes.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! It was the only way! I'm sorry!"

Signum had closed her eyes to dissimulate whatever she was feeling at the moment, a frown marring her features, the emotions in her mistress' voice making all of them uncomfortable. Hayate was really beating herself up for the dangerous decision she made on her own.

"I'm sorry too, Hayate," murmured Vita.

To see the Lieutenant-Colonel in such a distraught state stirred an unpleasant feeling in her gut and Nanoha stood up, walking to her. Since her wounds were almost healed thanks to Shamal effective healing spells, she felt little to no pain on her way to her side. She kneeled down and encircled the weeping brunette in her arms, sorry too to have doubted her in the past when she so obviously was berating herself ever since she took the decision.

"It's okay, Hayate, everything will be fine," she tried to console her best friend.

Teana made the curious onlookers go away before she came back to the group, coming beside her superior and sitting on her heels, mindful of the troublesome wisps.

"How can we help her?" Asked the younger enforcer to no one in particular.

"You can't, but I can," answered a voice they recognized instantly.

They had seen the silver haired woman just two days ago when they saw her mock fighting the blonde enforcer, and when she appeared two feet away from them, Nanoha felt like blasting her. Maybe not to oblivion but to hell at least. She wanted to take her nerves on something and the skittish woman was very easy to hate but… was she to blame for this? The echo did save the enforcer and it was Hayate's decision to use it.

"You again," flatly said Signum, defiance radiating off of her.

"Who else?" Calmly answered the silver haired woman, smirking derisively. "To answer you, Nanoha, yes everything will be fine in the end."

"How can you be so sure?" Whispered Hayate, her tears drying up at the Reinforce lookalike sudden appearance.

The strange woman made a face, staring at each one of them in what seemed to be disbelief and Nanoha almost scowled at the look. It was _almost_ insulting.

"So, you didn't guess yet?" Said the woman, lifting an eyebrow at them.

"What?" Snapped Vita, very much miffed by the look too.

The woman lifted a hand in the air to placate her while raising the other one to her chest, touching it lightly as she addressed them again, her eyes on Hayate. "That I have an Echo too."

And admittedly even if now it fully dawned on them, no one had ever made that assumption before because they couldn't be certain of it. They suspected but the confirmation was kind of unnerving. Although after what they just witnessed from Fate, it meant that the Reinforce lookalike had never truly attacked them half seriously. Not even when she was fighting Fate that day. And as Nanoha exchanged a look with Hayate, she knew that the Lieutenant-Colonel was thinking along the same lines.

The woman's face softened as she glanced at Fate. "I can sense when something goes wrong with her, that's why I am here with you." She explained further, closing the gap that separated her from the blonde enforcer.

Nanoha could see that Teana was listening to the exchange and studying the most wanted mage of this year so far, clearly confused by the unexpected confrontation. A surge of protectiveness and possessiveness welled up in her and the air instructor was unable to stop the next sentence from tumbling from her lips, even if it was potentially extremely dangerous.

"If you hurt her…" She trailed off and the atmosphere tensed a bit at the implied threat, Hayate shooting her an alarmed look while the others glanced at her in hesitation, probably wary of the idea of fighting this woman.

"Yes, I know, you will kill me," the woman guessed the unsaid part, not surprised as she made eye contact with her. "Take your turn." She added in a jaded tone.

Hayate put a hand on Nanoha's arm, trying to make her understand that antagonizing the woman now was really not in their best interest. _She's maybe the only person able to help Fate-chan out there_, said her brunette best friend in her head. As it was, the air instructor was able to see reason and even if she had a hard time admitting it in her distressed state, she let herself relax a little, discarding the blasting idea to the back of her mind. They had seen the silver wisps after all and now that she just confirmed what they all suspected, the woman was indeed more knowledgeable than any of them on the subject.

"What do you mean by you can sense when something goes wrong?" Inquired Hayate, bringing her back to the conversation, doubt firmly anchored in her frown.

"I sensed a ripple in my chest, it was faint but I decided to check on her anyway," explained the silver haired woman. "Since I calibrated her, we share some sort of… connection," she added with a shrug.

Her answer actually intrigued everyone around her and she had to admit that her curiosity was getting the better of her. Observing the awkward looking woman, she was a bit weirded out by the fact that she was standing with them with no protection, no weapon, no care even. They were still enemies for crying out loud! Even if the TSAB had delayed her arrestation in the hope of learning more about the Echoes and their purpose, she was still warranted and she was taking a risk by showing up here and talking to them. The woman was offering herself to their wrath and it truly was astounding. But not as much as her concern for the blonde enforcer. Her curiosity and her need to understand the woman were slowly but steadily growing within her whereas her anger and hatred toward her was slowly fading to something much more undefined. She could never resist prying when tormented eyes, especially of that color, where looking at her.

"Why do you care for her?" She forcefully asked, her eyes narrowing as she observed her more carefully.

"I am a tool, tools arbore no feelings," deflected the woman with a shrug, not convincing anyone.

"You are not. Your concern is obvious," flatly stated Signum, not fooled in the slightest, a stern expression on her stony face.

The woman's right lid was twitching but she didn't say any more words after that, not denying it but not confirming it either. She was staring at some distant point far in the horizon, clearly self-conscious and sad again, somehow. Nanoha was about to talk some more, to try and uncover what was the reason behind her demeanor but when the woman shifted her gaze back toward them, she was much more controlled and largely more distant. And maybe a little hurt too, which made no sense at all for her.

"Will you let me help her, or should I be on my way?" Simply asked the silver haired woman when no one spoke for an extended amount of time.

Silence responded to her. It was the first time this woman actually thought of leaving without helping Fate. She was too stunned by the question itself to answer, Hayate was scrutinizing the complicated woman in hope of comprehending her, Signum was as stern as ever although clearly hesitant and Vita for once was not trusting her own words after hurting her master like she did earlier. Shamal for her part was inspecting the woman from head to toe, trying to see the scars she knew should be there, or trying to see if other wounds had been added to the woman's body recently. As it was, it was Teana who got things moving again as she turned to face the skittish woman waiting silently.

"Help her," requested the younger enforcer.

The red eyes landed on her and appraised her for a couple of seconds, a flash of complicated emotions lighting up her eyes and disappearing in the next second.

"Stand clear, this is dangerous," the Reinforce lookalike advised as she sent a meaningful look at Nanoha.

The air instructor could still feel the lingering pain of the wisps and she was not about to undermine this statement. Slowly she rose to her feet and helped Hayate to stand in order to move them both away from Fate. Vita was following with a tormented expression on her face while Signum and Teana took some steps back too. Shamal was relatively safe where she was standing, alone on the other side of the strange woman so she stayed there, watching silently. The fact that they couldn't help her best friend themselves was so irksome that Nanoha wanted to blast something to ease her frustration but it was the sad truth. They could do nothing. Hayate was still shaking beside her ever so lightly, some sniffing escaping her control and she let one of her arm rest behind her back. The Lieutenant-Colonel was still distraught by the whole situation, knowing she was the one who had made the daring decision to implant the Echo in their blonde best friend was eating at her more severely than she ever cared to admit to them. Nanoha made the mental note to talk about it with her in the privacy of her office.

The woman moved closer to Fate and entered the circle of the wisps, grimacing slightly when some came in contact with her. Kneeling behind her head and leaning slightly on her right, her two hands made contact with Fate's face, encircling it as her two thumbs settled on the blonde's forehead.

"Her connection to the Echo is still fragile," calmly explained the woman, ignoring the painful wisps for the time being and concentrating on the unconscious enforcer while speaking. "What I mean by that is that the Echo hasn't fully accepted her yet. It means that while it will strengthen her magic abilities in combat it will also lash out at her if she draws too much, too soon." The woman paused in her explanation, closing her eyes as her own silver wisps sprouted out of her. She then started to whisper. "An Echo is temperamental and have a safeguard manifesting itself in the form of thin tendrils of energy, the wisps. If its integrity is in danger, no matter in what form, it will sense it and the safeguard will defend it."

They watched the scene in silence. Nanoha had stopped her soothing movements in Hayate's back as her whole attention focused on the woman and whatever it was that she was doing to Fate.

"Is it dangerous for her?" Hesitantly asked Shamal on the other side of the fallen enforcer, casting a quick, concerned look at her master.

"Hard to tell," answered the woman, eyes closed and still concentrating on her task. "It will depend on her."

"How so?" Further interrogated the green clad doctor, her brows slowly furrowing at the woman's strange, tilted position.

"She has to be patient," sighed the silver haired woman, frowning a bit. "The Echo has not rejected her so the bond will work, it's a certainty, but those things need time to adjust the symbiotic connection with the host."

"Symbiotic?" Murmured Hayate beside her, raising her eyebrows.

"Yes, it is how they work," the woman stopped her explanation for a couple of seconds, tensing suddenly as the gold wisps around her began to take some speed, agitated by whatever she was doing.

Suddenly a wisp became as fast as a bullet and cut the woman on the cheek, making her bleed and curse under her breath, pain flashing on her features. Was it warning from the Echo? Shamal took a step closer to assess the damage but the Reinforce lookalike stopped her immediately.

"Don't move," it was an order, the authority behind it being a first in the woman's voice. "Those things are ancient, older than Belkan technology and I don't know much about them. What I do know, I learned on my own."

Which meant she certainly experienced everything Fate will have to experience, but alone. Nanoha once again tried to see past the façade this woman was constantly putting up but it was so very hard to understand her. Why was she mock battling the blonde enforcer then? Why was she explaining all of this to them? To reassure them? What sort of enemy did that? Signum was right earlier, the silver haired woman truly cared for Fate. Relaxing a little at the thought, she watched as the golden wisps started to slow down, floating lazily while some colors were returning to the blonde enforcer's cheeks.

"She won't die from this, right?" Hayate asked in an unsteady voice, her blue eyes never leaving the enforcer's frame as all the wisps dissolved into thin air.

The woman opened her eyes at the question, lifting an eyebrow at the Lieutenant-Colonel and seeking her eyes with her own. "She won't," she answered quite confidently to her best friend but then, taking in Hayate's expression, she seemed to soften. "I told you already, Lieutenant-Colonel, that I won't let her die."

Something passed between the two of them. Nanoha didn't know what exactly but some sort of mutual comprehension was there and for a second, she wondered about it. What had they shared exactly in that one meeting that changed a lot of things? Making a mental note to ask her brunette best friend, the words the woman just said fully settled in her mind and she shot her a startled look. She just admitted it, her concern, her care for the blonde enforcer. Did she say it on purpose or did it just slip through her lips?

When a blush erupted on the woman's cheeks in realization, an uneasy expression spreading on her face, Nanoha knew she didn't mean to say that to them. On the ground Fate opened her eyes with a start, her burgundy red eyes catching the red ones above her own and staring intently into them. The woman jumped in turn and scrambled back with hast, clearly taken off guard by her rapid return to the conscious world.

"Why wouldn't you?" the blonde enforcer rasped out, sitting rapidly and turning to stare at the retreating woman as everyone sighed a sigh of relief.

Nanoha was finally truly reassured to see her best friend awake and talking again, swiftly scanning Fate's frame to make sure everything was back to normal with her. The anxiety in her dissolved like sugar would in warm water and she felt her shoulders loosen, the tension leaving her completely. The blonde enforcer was injured but it was nothing serious, just like the woman whose cheek was still bleeding faintly. Although the silver haired woman was sitting, dumbfounded by her own slip it would seem, three feet away from the blonde.

"You heard that," mumbled the silver haired woman, very embarrassed.

"I did," softly confirmed Fate, tentative. "But why?"

The awkward woman simply stared at her for the longest time, not moving or answering, a complex array of emotions washing over her face. The air instructor couldn't decipher any of them because they all came and went too quickly for her to read them. Plus, she didn't know the woman enough to have this sort of knowledge yet. They all waited for the much-needed answer. There was something more to this woman but what was it? The question was spiraling in Nanoha's mind endlessly, reminding herself that the strange woman had a master and that she had been following orders after all. Could they resent her for something she had no full control over? Or was it all an act or a trap of some sort?

Regaining a semblance of composure, the Reinforce lookalike shook her head like someone wanting to shake away some troublesome thoughts and rose to her feet, her face very controlled again.

"Why don't you answer?" Insisted softly Fate, standing up too, her long blond hair covering the small gash in her cape.

"You don't have to know," answered the silver haired woman. "I just won't let you." She reiterated to soften her rebuke, a flicker of a smile, contrite and somewhat sad, playing on her lips.

Nanoha was both relieved and worried at the same time, inwardly asking herself if this woman had feelings for her blonde best friend or something. It didn't feel like it but she still couldn't help but wonder. It was so, so very strange to see this woman who almost killed the Ace of the Navy smiling like this at that same person. It was so difficult for her to dissociate the compassion and the anger tied to this Reinforce lookalike that she didn't know how to react to the reiteration.

"Don't push yourself," sternly recommended the woman, taking another step back.

"You're leaving again," sighed Fate, a light reproach in her tone.

"If I stay, I'll be under arrest," reminded her the woman, making them face the situation for what it really was. "Besides, my master will whistle me soon enough. I have to answer his command."

The stunned silence that followed her words was disturbed by Fate who took a step toward her but in turn the woman took another step back. Nanoha was surprised by the woman's choice of words. What was she to this man, a dog? The very thought made her frown despite herself, the degrading concept awakening her compassionate side. Hayate, who was still at her side and much calmer by now, took a step in the woman's direction too, catching all of their attentions as she finally spoke in a cautious tone.

"I could lift the warrant for the time being," she suggested, not paying attention to the reticent reactions around her or to Signum's eyebrow shooting upward at the farfetched suggestion.

"Why would you do that?" Dubiously wondered the silver haired woman, not prepared to hear such an offer it would seem.

"I do trust you," firmly stated Hayate, conviction in her words, and Nanoha did her best not to comment on that now even if she wanted to. When the woman tilted her head, looking at the Lieutenant-Colonel in a strange manner, lifting her eyebrows, the brunette seemed to understand the silent question. "You're not our enemy."

The woman said nothing for some time again, probably surprised by her best friend's words just like the rest of them. Except for Fate. The blonde enforcer had not reacted to the offer made by the Lieutenant-Colonel, showing no surprise nor animosity toward the idea and Nanoha watched her back, trying to read the thoughts of her very still blonde best friend. _Fate-chan?_ Mentally called Nanoha, careful for some reason. _Nanoha. She should stay_, answered Fate in the privacy of her mind, worried. _Why do you think so?_ Prudently asked the air instructor, shifting her gaze toward the distant silver haired woman. _She needs our help as much as I need hers_, simply said her best friend in response. _Look at her. Look attentively_, suggested Fate, motionless as she too was studying the woman still talking with Hayate.

"Glad you finally understand it," remarqued blankly the silver haired woman, frowning imperceptibly while studying the Lieutenant-Colonel. "But I am still bound, whether I like it or not." The woman added, shaking her head.

Nanoha did as her friend had suggested to her and tried to see what it was that had caught her attention. The black and silver barrier jacket was not on the woman today, she was wearing casual clothes, mostly black in color. Taking some time to really detail her face, she ignored the gash on her cheek and looked at her eyes so reminiscent of Fate's own, seeing the purplish shadows under them. As the woman shifted on her feet, she looked at her legs or more specifically at her stance. Then she saw it, she was keeping her weight off of her left leg. Returning her eyes to her face, she looked harder yet. It downed on her then that the woman was really pale, more so than she normally was. _She's sick?_ Nanoha made the assumption, addressing Fate with a tinge of concern. _That, or she is hurt_, concurred the blonde enforcer.

"I would like you to trust me too," admitted Hayate, as serious as they come.

Nanoha almost shifted her attention back to Hayate when she heard this, the wistful tone in her voice giving away how sincere she was, but she managed to ignore it for the time being. Understanding by now that Fate was concerned, and a bit worried, for the woman who just helped her, Nanoha didn't know what to do about it. Glancing toward Shamal, she tried to attract her attention but to no avail so she decided to directly speak with her by telepathy. _Shamal_. The blonde doctor blenched a tad and gave her a startled look, visibly surprised in the middle of her own inspection. _Nanoha-chan?_ The air instructor shifted her gaze back to the woman, leading the doctor's gaze back to her as well. _She's hurting_, she informed the doctor, who nodded several feet away from her. _I saw it… but she won't accept our help_, sighed the green clad woman in a defeated tone, frustrated and probably not mistaking on this. Maybe they could do nothing about it for now.

The difficult woman abruptly turned her back on them, effectively cutting off the conversation. "Whatever." She mumbled, starting to walk away. "Aggeris."

"**_Phantom mode, set up,_**" answered the masculine voice of her device.

Her body vanished and this time Fate didn't try to call after her, probably unsettled by the woman's words and her well dissimulated physical predicament. Now that the skittish woman had left Nanoha walked to her best friend, brushing her arm with her hand in a supportive gesture. Fate looked at her with her beautiful eyes and she automatically smiled under her troubled gaze, taking her hand in her own to squeeze it gently. She could see it, the lingering concern etched on her face.

"It'll be okay," she reassured her blonde best friend, Hayate giving them a quizzical look in her peripheral vision. "You should rest," she added to prevent any kind of protest, just wanting to see Fate recovering peacefully.

Shamal firmly nodded her approval, giving the blonde enforcer a very stern look when she was about to protest and Fate relented, tiredness settling on her frame. Her free hand went to her chest which made Nanoha watch the movement in concern, wondering what the blonde was feeling there to be so distracted by it. Fate then let go of her barrier jacket and she let out a heavy sigh, admitting in her softest voice that some rest would do her good. Nanoha let go of her hand with a last smile before they all parted ways for the rest of the day. Fate was to go back to the medical bay with Shamal for a complete check-up. Hayate had to go back to her office, Signum in her wake while Teana retreated to the office she was sharing with Fate, lost in her thoughts. Vita was still at her side, sending her some glances but uttering a word after the whole ordeal. Nanoha could tell that the knight of the hammer was more perturbed by what happened that she wanted to let on but since the shorter woman didn't want to talk, she didn't start any form of conversation with her. Maybe later. With her own sigh the air instructor thoughts went back to her students and what training they will go through in the next hours. Vita was there to help.

But even if all of them were back to their activities, Nanoha just knew that all of them were mulling over what just took place on the training field.

* * *

To be continued...


End file.
